He's Easy Like That
by Avecia
Summary: Collection of one-shots.  He told her that vampires couldn't pro-create.  She begged to differ.
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** Lineage

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note:**Ok, the next chapter of Lineage will be up tomorrow, just finishing a few little things with it. In the meantime I give you this. It's ridiculous but I had fun writing it anyways. I know I kept this idea out of my other TVD fic because I wanted it to be realistic but I came over a fic prompt I had the other day and I couldn't resist doing it as a one-shot.

I hope you enjoy, this is just a bit of fun.

Ave x

* * *

She was incredibly uncomfortable. It was the height of summer and despite it being nearly 1am she couldn't get to sleep.

'I give up.'

She huffed and pulled herself up on the pillows, reaching for the bedside table. The body beside her rolled over to find her sitting with a book in one hand and a pen in the other writing on a pad.

'What are you doing?' he asked rubbing his eyes awake.

'I'm making a list.'

She flicked through the book and wrote something on top of the pad of paper. No kidding.

'I can see that, a list of what exactly?'

'Names. We haven't even talked about names yet and I'm 3 weeks from giving birth. I'm not having you call it 'bump' for the rest of its life.'

He outwardly groaned, rolling over on his side to look at her.

'Do we really need to do this now? You've been cranky all day…I've spent most of it running about tending to your every need and now I'd like some sleep.'

He punched at his pillow to fluff it and heaved the blankets over them both before turning away from her again. She huffed and threw the cover off herself again.

'It's your fault I'm this grumpy.'

He gave in and sat up; looking towards her, wondering what ridiculous thing she was blaming him for this time.

'And how did you figure that one out then princess?' he countered, clasping his hands gently on top of the covers. She turned to him and contorted her face.

'_Oh no Elena, vampires can't pro-create,' _she ground out, trying her best to mimic him from that infamous road trip to Georgia. Pointing to her ever increasing bump she glared at him and continued, 'I beg to differ!'

He threw his head back in despair at this being the umpteenth time she'd brought that up.

'How many times do I need to tell you? I didn't even know it was possible. I've never met anyone that it's happened too. If I'd known it was possible, trust me, I'd have been a lot more careful.'

'Oh so you're saying that you didn't want this?'

Now she was blowing things out of proportion.

'I never said that.'

She was bemused and began flicking the pages again, almost ripping them from the book's spine as she went. He gave in.

'Ok fine. What's on the list?'

She continued to browse the book before putting it down in frustration and glaring at him.

'I don't know yet. I just started.'

He threw the book over the back of the bed and grinned.

'Damon's a good start. The first born son should be named after his father.'

She tried to reach behind their headboard to retrieve the book but her bump just got in the way.

'Maybe…' she puffed out, '…if we lived in the 1800s…' she collapsed against the headboard giving up, '…we'd name him after you.'

He smiled at her irritated sigh before reaching behind the bed effortlessly taking back the book.

'I did live in the 1800s,' he responded before handing her back the book, holding on tightly for a few seconds as she grabbed it before letting go.

'That's not the point.'

She enunciated the 't' at the end of her sentence and scribbled away on the notepad. He could see she'd written his name before putting a big line through it.

'Fine. What else you got?'

She smiled a little at his renewed enthusiasm.

'Ok, what about Casper?'

She didn't appreciate the look on his face. He looked like he wanted to vomit.

'Are you serious?'

'What's wrong with Casper?' she exclaimed.

'As in the friendly ghost?' It took her a moment to make the connection, but nodded when she got the reference, causing him to shake his head profusely, 'No. There's no way in hell any son of mine is going to named after a cartoon ghost no matter how cute and cuddly they are. That isn't going on the list.'

She drew a line through that name too on the pad.

'Fine. And what makes you think it's a boy anyway.'

He puffed out his chest a little, something she wasn't going to complain about. It was a beautiful chest. He drew his hand to her stomach and rubbed it slightly causing the edges of his mouth to turn upwards.

'Salvatores always produce sons first. Case in point,' he said pointing with his other hand to himself over his head, 'Besides, I'm sure I saw his _thingy_ on the ultrasound.'

She swatted away his hand from her belly, annoyed at him ruining their moment.

'Don't be ridiculous. So now you're a medically trained gynaecologist? I must add that to my other list of things you are, I'll fit it in below con-artist and ass.'

He was full on grinning now.

'I _have had_ a lot of practice in that area I'll have you know.'

She rolled her eyes effortlessly having perfect the art a long time ago when it came to Damon.

'Don't remind me. Ok, if you're so convinced I'm having a boy, what name would _you_ suggest?'

He thought for a moment before responding.

'Ok, I think we should name _him_…Leo? It's a good strong Italian name.'

'Hmm…I like it. The heart of a Lion.'

She giggled lightly but stopped when she saw his straight face, knowing he was serious.

'It was my great-grandfather's name. He was the one who brought our family over from Italy in the late 1700s,' it was clear that he had a memory of his great-grandfather by the way he beamed talking about him, 'Well his name was actually Leonardo, but being parents I'm sure we'll scar our child enough throughout his life without giving him the full name.'

She had had her doubts about whether this was going to work between them, whether Damon was committed enough for a family but maybe she was wrong.

'Ok, that's a start I guess' she said, noting it down on her pad.

This seemed to delight Damon.

'Great, now maybe we can get some sleep,' he all but shouted, as he pulled the covers up over him, turning towards her leaving a kiss on her forehead before settling down on the mattress. His eyes were closed within seconds.

_Great._

'But I'm not tired,' she moaned and thought for a moment, 'maybe you could help tire me out?'

She had her hands under the cover and on the waist band of his boxers before he knew what was happening. But with one quick flick of his wrist he had her pinned to the bed.

'Oh no no no Elena, you tried that one on me last night.' He stared at her intently before letting her go and going back into his sleeping position. With his eyes closed he added, 'it didn't work then and it isn't going to work now.'

He could tell without looking that she was pouting at him.

'Why not?'

Her frustrated wail proved too much for him to ignore.

'Because it's…well it's gross.'

'Gee thanks.'

Now he was frustrated, and not in a good way.

'I didn't mean it like that,' he grumbled turning towards her before pushing a stray lock of hair behind her ear, 'I grew up in a different time Elena, when women were _respected_ when carrying a child, it would be wrong of me to take advantage of your…' he thought of a polite way to put it, '…spiraling _hormones_.'

She didn't buy it though.

'You didn't respect me that much when you knocked me up in the first place.'

She had a point.

'I am but a feeble man; you threw yourself at me, what's a guy to do?'

With a shrug of his shoulders she decided to resort to begging tactics.

'Please Damon, don't be cruel,' she struggled to turn on her side in a seductive manner, bump getting in the way as usual but she was determined, 'You can't resist. Come on, I'm throwing myself at you now.'

He looked concerned and uncomfortable as the weight shifted in their bed.

'That's kinda what I'm worried about. My vamp sex could send you into early labour.'

She leaned over him and he reluctantly put his arm underneath her neck and shoulders to appease her as she tried to get in a comfy position. She had her right arm over his stomach trailing her fingers in a circle doing her best to tempt him.

'Oh come on Damon, you're good,' she whispered in his ear, 'but you're not _that_ good.'

'I beg…' he growled, '…to differ.'

And that was all it took to get him to concede, swiftly pinning her down on the bed before having his wicked way with her.

As she rolled away from him in sweat filled haze she sighed, finally satisfied and tired out.

'Told you that you couldn't resist. You could never back down from a challenge Damon.'

The realization dawned on him that he had just been played.

'Did you…did you just…? You did that on purpose! You conniving little minx.'

He would have felt stripped of his virtue, if he'd had any to begin with. And as for Elena, she lost hers about the same time she first gave in to the man lying beside her.

'Yup, you underestimate me Salvatore.'

This was just ridiculous.

'I don't believe it.'

She smirked at him as she pulled the covers over herself and turned her back to him. Closing her eyes she couldn't help but fire a parting shot at him.

'Remember Damon, you said it yourself. I ask, you come…' turning back towards him she gave his shoulder a swift kiss, '…You're easy like that. Night Damon.'

As she settled into the crook of his arm he didn't know what to think. He had actually met his match.

'What the hell have I gotten myself into?' he murmured before turning out the light, missing the devilish smirk that crept onto his wife's face knowing that she was firmly in control.

Elena 1 – Damon 0.

* * *

So what did you think? Completely ridiculous? I know, but I had fun writing it and if you had fun reading it, please review! If you didn't have fun please still hit that review button, I can take it! Ave x


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** Lineage

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note:**Ok, wow! Thank you so much for the amazing reviews! I had thought that this would be a one-shot but I've decided to make this into a collection of one-shots all based on the idea of Damon and Elena preparing for parenthood and coping afterwards. It's a ridiculous idea but I had to indulge myself. I just hope you enjoy this. I'm trying not to make it too sappy but the end kind of wrote itself.

Prepare for the next one-shot, it's a flashback to when Elena discovers her little surprise from Damon.

Ave x

* * *

He could hear her from the driveway as he put his ridiculously boring Honda CR-V into park. His classic Chevy was yet another thing he'd had to give up following Elena's endless complaining about how the hell was he was going to fit a car seat in a sports car? Car seats? When did he begin to care about friggin' car seats?

But there he was, he'd traded his precious baby in for an up to date model, one he wouldn't be able to trade back. Elena tells him it'll be worth it. It had better be.

As he opened the front door he could hear her much clearer, his eyebrows raised at the explicit profanity coming from her mouth. Travelling up the stairs and leaning by the nursery door he could see why she was so pissed off.

'Elena Gilbert, normally such foul language is reserved for only me of late…I'm hurt.'

She stopped what she was doing and shot him a death glare. Too bad he was already _dead_.

'I _am_ swearing because of you,' she bit out.

He raised his eyebrows in surprise, 'Oh…dare I ask what I did this time?'

'Well you would go and order a custom made crib from Europe. It was delivered this morning.'

He looked confused at his intended kind gesture, so she elaborated.

'All the instructions for assembly are in Italian!'

He looked at the collection of wooden panels strewn over the floor of the room they'd decided would be the nursery, screws and tools littered around with Elena sat cross-legged in the middle of the mess. He carefully navigated the sea of dark oak and sat down beside her, taking the booklet from her that she was turning to the left, right, and upside down as if to try to make sense of the instructions.

'Well you weren't supposed to be the one who built it up so this one's on you. It was supposed to be a surprise. You always ruin my surprises Elena.'

'Your last _surprise_ was impregnating me.'

'See there you go again with the spoiling, must you make the creation of life sound so…_impersonal_?'

She was bemused, frustrated, sweaty and in no mood for his silly verbal volleyball. Yet she was like a moth to his flame.

'Would you prefer I used knocked up?'

He grimaced lightly.

'No, really, that's very much a _no_. That one didn't go down too well when you used it to drop our little bombshell over dinner at family night.' She smiled remembering how Alaric had tried to punch Damon. 'I don't know what you're smirking about; you're not the one who had to give Jenna the Heimlich maneuver remember?'

She frowned but this time he smirked, giving her rounded stomach a rub. This caused her to smile a little.

'Why don't you go relax in a bath and I'll finish this,' he said as he started to look over the instructions and fished out the necessary parts from around him. She eyed him suspiciously.

'You can read Italian?' she asked in a disbelieving tone.

'Read, write, converse, yes,' he responded without taking his eye from the instruction booklet. When he didn't hear her coming back with any response of her own he looked up, 'What? The last name didn't give it away Elena?'

She rolled her eyes.

'No of course I know your family was Italian, I just didn't realize that you spoke the language.'

'Sì, _bella_.'

She blushed a little at his amorous tone as he smirked at the effect he could have on her.

'I didn't have a choice when I was growing up, if I couldn't say 'please pass the potatoes' in _Italiano_ at dinner time my mother wouldn't let me eat. She was the one who taught me.'

She knew he found it hard talking about his mother. She didn't know much about her and Damon would only mention things now and again. It reminds her that somewhere along the way he did have some semblance of a normal life. She wondered if her child would have such fond memories of her when he or she was older.

'Well maybe you can teach our child when he or she is old enough too.'

He nodded mindlessly, far too concentrated in the business of constructing the crib. She was satisfied at that.

'Good, because the only thing useful I can think of teaching our kid right now is how to use eyelash curlers without pulling all your eyelashes out.'

He put down the two pieces of dark oak he was screwing together to glower at Elena.

'Well I hardly think our _son_ is going to have any use for that little golden nugget of advice.'

This argument had continued from the previous night after the heated conversation about baby names, but she wasn't going to admit that she thought maybe he was right and that she was having a baby boy. Instead she chose to bait him.

'We live in modern times Damon, you never know.'

He simply shook his head and continued screwing the nail into the soft, dark wood, having already constructed two or three panels. She came back into the room and knelt down behind him, draping her arms over his shoulders to feel his chest under his shirt.

'How about you come relax with me in a bath?'

He continued turning nail into the wood.

'Elena I can only screw one thing at a time you know.'

She huffed and struggled up from the floor, before heading to the bathroom. She had thought after her success last night by getting him to give in to satisfying her increasing sexual frustration that he would have a taste for it and want to ravish her at any given opportunity. She knew she wasn't exactly looking at her sexiest but come on!

However, by the time she had gotten out of the bath and went back to look for Damon she wandered into the nursery and was floored. In the time she'd spent easing her aches and pains, he had completed not only the crib but the changing table and two sets of drawers. The mess of the cardboard boxes and cellophane was gone and the nursery looked just as she had wanted it to. The only thing missing was her baby.

As if he could read her mind, she felt his arms around her, resting over her bump, caressing her lightly.

'Well are you surprised?'

All she could think to utter as a tear ran down her cheek was a simple 'yes,' before turning to capture her husband in a kiss that predictably lead all the way to their bedroom next door.

* * *

Hope you liked this, remember to review, it makes me happy!

Next chapter is a flashback like I said - just Damon, Elena and her pee on a stick!

x


	3. Chapter 3

**Title:** Lineage

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note:**Ok, flashback as promised. Now, I'd love to hear a few prompts from my lovely readers of little scenarios you'd like me to write about in this AU. I love getting prompts and it will help me keep writing quickly!

I love hearing from you guys, so please keep hitting the review button!

Ave x

* * *

She sat there staring at the plastic in front of her, wondering how in hell this had happened. She was honestly going to kill him.

That was after she figured out how to tell him of course. But turned out she wouldn't have to, not after he walked in on her in the bathroom staring at the stick of her pee skeptically.

'Uh, do you mind telling me what you're doing with that?'

She continued looking at the test for a few seconds before, turning to look at him, mouth agape in disbelief.

'Close your mouth Elena, you'll start catching flies,' he drawled as he set himself down in front of her, leaning against the ornate bathtub in his personal en-suite, 'now tell me, what's going on?'

'Well I would have thought the pregnancy test would have been a big giveaway Damon,' she deadpanned in response.

'I know what it _is_, I'm just curious to know what _you're_ doing with it.'

She rolled her eyes and handed him the test which clearly said one word, 'positive.'

He looked at the plastic test almost cockeyed.

'Well that can't be right,' he mumbled, the white fear and panic coming over him.

'Well I haven't slept with anyone else if that's what you're thinking,' she replied, tears forming in her eyes, pulling her legs up and holding them with her arms.

'Elena, don't put words in my mouth, that's not what I meant at all,' he answered sternly, getting up to move beside her on the ceramic floor, 'it's just…well when a guy goes 145 years thinking he doesn't need to _armor_ _up_ before getting it on, it's gonna come as a bit of a surprise.'

She knew exactly what he meant, but she had been foolish too when she decided to stop taking her birth control pills. Even if she hadn't, she wasn't sure it would have made a difference. It would appear her boyfriend had super, biology defying sperm.

'You're not kidding. I believed you when you said vampires couldn't pro-create. Trust you to be the exception to that rule.'

Damon smirked. He knew he was one in a million but he was glad she was now realizing it; even it was as a result of an unplanned pregnancy.

'What the hell am I gonna do?' she exclaimed, searching his eyes for an answer before looking back at the test.

He relaxed and put his arm around her.

'Well _you_ are not going to do anything Elena,' she turned and looked at him, the tears flowing freely. He lifted his hand and brushed them away with his thumb, '_We_ are going to figure it out, together.'

She knew she should have been pleased that he wasn't running for the door at vamp speed, but really this made things ten times more difficult. She was just getting her head around the possibility of a future with Damon, even if that did mean having to turn at some point.

'It's not that simple Damon. I'm really not ready for any of this. I'm only 18! I'm supposed to be starting college after the summer. How do we explain our…' she struggled for the words, '…_lifestyle_ to a child growing up?'

'Elena stop.' He had her face in his hands, and if she didn't know better she would have thought he was going to try to compel her, 'We have plenty of time to figure all that out ok. There are more important things to worry about right now.'

She looked confused, as though nothing could be more important than planning how they were going to go about being vampire parents (when she turns) to an infant.

'Like what?'

He drew in a breath and retrieved his arm from around her shoulders, before clasping his hands together, resting them on his lap. He was staring straight ahead.

'Well, like how _you_ have to figure out a way to tell Jenna and Ric.'

'Oh,' she whispered realizing he was right. That was not going to be easy. They were the closest thing she had to parents. 'But what happened to the _we_?' she retorted indignantly.

'Yeah…' he exhaled an imaginary breath slowly, 'you're on your own with that one - Jenna might want to kill me.'

Elena looked at him with disdain, rolling her eyes.

'You're scared of Jenna?'

'Hell yes, I think she gave me my first grey hair when we told her you were moving in with me in the first place.'

Elena relaxed and laughed at his ridiculous fear of her aunt, who she recalled had brandished a gas oven lighter at Damon, entirely comfortable in her new-found knowledge of just how to hurt her niece's vampire boyfriend.

'So we're doing this then?' she asked tentatively, knowing she couldn't honestly bring herself not to go through with it. She hadn't thought she wanted children until she knew that if it was her choice to turn, it would take away the possibility of that ever happening.

He smiled and kissed her fully in the way he knows she loves.

'Well you know me Elena, I'm always up for trying something new.'

She's still not sure he means it; she needs to hear the words. And he knows, he can tell from the unsure look in her eyes.

'Elena look, I'm not going to pretend this was ever in my plans for us. I have no idea how this is going to work ok?'

She nodded looking away from him, a little disappointed.

'Elena,' he pulled her head back around to look at her, 'I'm just being honest. I always am when it comes to you. But just because I don't know if things are going to work out, doesn't mean I'm not willing to try. I love you and we're in this together alright?'

She nodded, a smile creeping onto her face.

'Alright then,' he repeated, more of a statement now than a question, gathering her in his arms and helping her to her feet. 'You feeling better now?'

She nodded again, still smiling before giving him a kiss. The kiss lingered and Elena felt the buildup of emotions within her as she threw herself into kissing him again. Before she knew it Damon had hoisted her up onto the marble counter leaving a trail of kisses down her neck.

'You do realize,' she breathed in between gripping for the back of his t-shirt, 'that _this_…is exactly how _we_…' stopping again as Damon pulled her hard into him, '…got into this mess in the first place?'

'Mmm-hmm,' he murmured into her mouth, not finding it in himself to care, 'but it's not like I can knock you up again now can I?'

She shook her head vigorously in reply urging him on.

'Good, glad you agree. Now…' he paused, looking into her eyes before lifting her up off the counter. He carried her towards his bedroom and set her down on the bed before lifting his shirt over his head in one swift movement, '…on with the celebrating.'

* * *

Still not sure about how this one turned out, so please let me know, good or bad!

Next, we find out just how Damon decides to show just how much she and the kid mean to him (it sounds soppy, maybe it is, but as you know, I try to keep the Damon Humour coming!)


	4. Chapter 4

**Title:** Lineage

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note:**Ech…not entirely happy about this chapter. I've tried to throw in a few funny lines but I reckon this is a little bit more serious than the last 3 chapters. I hope you still enjoy it! Next chapter is cravings and the one after that is a one-shot of when Damon and Elena tell Alaric and Jenna all of their good news (I predict that chapter will be much fun!)

Please please please review if you have the time. You've no idea how much help you guys have given me or how much it keeps me motivated.

Thank you for your time! Much love, Ave x

* * *

She was sitting in the kitchen of the Salvatore mansion, enjoying a cup of coffee. Ok, so she wasn't _enjoying_ it – after all, Damon had banned her from having any kind of caffeine now she was carrying his child. Caffeine was her bad habit so by going without she was pretty much grumpy all the time.

But what the hell, Damon could deal.

She had settled into some kind of routine, living with him. It was strange with Stefan being gone. She missed him, but it was for the best. He just couldn't handle having relapsed again. She was heartbroken when he left but, without either of them thinking about it, both she and Damon had pieced each other back together. Who cares if it started out as a drunken one night stand? In between heated sex and their arguments, they somehow fell in love with each other. It wasn't an ideal way to start a relationship, but she was happy.

Well at least she would be, if the baby inside her didn't make her want to pee every five minutes.

She'd just come back from her tenth visit to the bathroom for the day when she found the little black box sitting beside her now cold cup of de-caff and the Vogue magazine on the counter. She sat down and picked it up. Inside it was a beautiful sapphire gem, surrounded by intricate diamonds, held in a gold setting. It looked antique and understated, yet expensive at the same time.

'You're supposed to wait for me to ask you first before you go just putting it on.'

She was quick to retort, not taking her eyes from the little box in her hands.

'Well if you didn't want me to open it you shouldn't have left it lying around then should you?'

She turned to find Damon standing with a glass of scotch smirking at her, before placing a chaste kiss on her forehead.

'I put it down for a minute to go get a drink. I heard you in the bathroom and usually you're in there for forever and a day nowadays so I thought I had time to get back before you spotted it.'

She grimaced at the thought he could _hear_ her in the bathroom which only made him smirk even more. She wasn't letting him get the upper hand though.

'Damon – explain. What is this?'

He looked confused, what a stupid question for a woman to ask.

'Well what does it look like Einstein? Honestly, call yourself a _girl_?'

His mocking tone was not helping. She looked again at the ring nestled amongst the silk within the box and then back at him.

'It looks like a proposal for a shot-gun marriage is what it looks like.'

He looked horrified and grasped the box out of her hands, snapping it shut.

'My mother would be horrified if she thought I was using her engagement ring in such a manner.'

Well now she just felt horrible. The tone of his voice said everything to her – she'd seriously offended him. But could he blame her? They had only been together 5 months and 4 of those she'd been struggling to come to terms with the fact she was carrying the offspring of a vampire. Throw in the fact that she was only 18 and it was the perfect story for an episode of Jerry Springer.

'I didn't mean to upset you Damon; it's just isn't this a bit fast? It's not the 1800s where unmarried mothers are the shame of society. I'm not going to marry you just because it's _the right thing to do_.'

She followed him through to the parlor, noting that he had lit the fire in the fireplace and there were candles softly lighting the room around her. God he was really serious about this and now she felt ten times worse.

'Aren't you getting a little _ahead_ of yourself again? I haven't even asked you yet,' he replied, setting the box down in front of him as he sat on the large couch.

She sat beside him and her head found his shoulder without too much resistance. This was not a conversation she expected to be having today. _What would you like for dinner, AB+ or O-Neg? I put on three pounds this week; do you think it's all gone to my butt?_ Those things she could imagine coming up in casual conversation. But a marriage proposal? Not so much. So she thought it was best to change the subject a little.

'Is that really your mother's engagement ring?'

He nodded.

'Tell me about her.'

He raised his arm and set it around her shoulder, his hand coming to rest just at the edge of her slightly rounded stomach. She expected his usual 'there's not much to say' response. Talking about his parents was difficult for him. She knew his father had told him he was eternally disappointed with him, but he just never spoke about Elizabetta. She was surprised when he actually opened up this time.

'Well she was one of a kind. In all my years since, I've never met anyone like her. She was beautiful, loyal – the perfect wife and mother anyone could ask for I guess.' He looked down at Elena and met her stare, seeing that she was genuinely interested in what he had to say. So he continued.

'But she knew how to stand up to my father. It was hard after she died; she wasn't there to keep him in check.'

He settled further into the cushions on the couch, a small smile creeping onto his face. Elena guessed he was recalling a fond memory.

'I remember this one time, before she um…died…she found me in Stefan's room…' he paused again to look down at her, '…I'd cut off his hair. And when I say she was incensed it would probably be an understatement, but the boy had crazy hair you know? Like a King Charles spaniel. I mean really I was doing him a favour…'

She laughed at the image his story created in her head and found her smile grow bigger as she saw Damon's own face contort again into a smile of his own.

'What did she do?'

'Well she smacked my ass well and good for a start, before picking up the scissors and cutting off the rest of Stefan's hair. I was terrified of what my father was going to say, but in the end she told him Giuseppe she'd cut it _herself_ because she'd be damned if her child was going to grow up with hair like his father. That shut him up of course.'

Her arms found their way across his body to hold him tighter. There were a few moments of silence as Damon contemplated how all of this fit into their weird and wonderful life.

'You're not her Elena,' she nodded, having heard him say that a million times to her before, but never in reference to his mother, 'but you're one of a kind too. And I see the qualities she had in _you _– I mean, you're beautiful, loyal, and not afraid to stand up to me…'

She leaned up towards him, the grin hard to hide, which of course he noticed, '…not that I like that very much, but I suppose I can live with it.'

She looked up to him again through her eyelashes, happy that he'd finally opened up to her about his past and things that meant something to him.

'I want you to marry me because I love you and want to spend the rest of my eternally damned life with you. Is that so hard to believe?'

She shook her head. Because really, she felt the same way.

'You just, don't seem like…the _marrying_ kind, that's all,' she countered.

'Are you kidding me? A chance to get dressed in a tux, turn a few heads and be centre of attention for a day? I'd get married every day of the year if you gave me half the chance.'

And there was the reappearance of his typical Salvatore charm, signaling an end to him having opened up the box of feelings he kept hidden deep down inside. She was having none of his idea of hogging the limelight though.

'Hang on a minute, isn't a wedding day when the _bride_ is meant to get all the attention?'

'Now who's living in the 1800s huh?'

She playfully punched him, which of course had little effect and he grasped her hands tightly together, showing her his, non-scary, non-'raargh!' toothy smile. Beaming at him, he leaned over to pick up the black box. He opened it again, this time in front of her. She noticed he was now on bended knee. Well some traditions had to stay of course.

She was waiting for the long winded, dramatic speech that she felt Damon had no doubt prepared for this moment but it never came, instead all he managed to breath out was a simple, 'Please Elena…just say yes.'

She nodded as a single tear fell from her eyes, looking down to find Damon's mother's ring was sitting beautifully on her ring finger, the perfect size. He sealed the deal with a passionate kiss which of course, led to a long, rather naked fumble on the couch.

As she pulled her shirt back over her head, she notice the slightly protruding bump from midriff and frowned.

'If we're going to do this, we had better do it quick.'

Damon was pulling his jeans back on and not really paying much attention to his now fiancée puffing out her belly then trying to suck it in.

'Elena what are you talking about? We just did it already, it must've been quick if you can't even remember it.'

She threw a cushion at him as he readjusted his belt buckle.

'I meant getting married. I don't want to look like a beached whale in my wedding pictures.'

He pulled her to him, taking her head in his hands.

'That's not possible. However if it's what you want then ok...'

She smiled as he kissed her lightly and affectionately. She should have known his smirk meant that her request would be granted only conditionally.

'…But you're telling Jenna.'

'What?' she exclaimed, 'That's not fair. I told her about moving in with you and about the baby. You tell her!'

He just looked at her without showing any signs of cracking.

'Nope.'

She huffed sitting back down on the couch, somewhat annoyed at not being able to toast her newfound betrothed-ness with some hard liquor.

'Ok rock, paper, scissors then to settle it?'

'You won't win.'

'Wanna bet?'

'Ok if and when I win, my reward will be _not_ having to tell your Aunt about our impending nuptials.'

She nodded as he sat next to her, both drumming their fists on their knee three times before making their play. She should really have known better than to play with a vampire who had ridiculously quick reflexes – Damon's scissors winning over Elena's paper.

'Dammit,' she huffed loudly, 'I should have known you'd have gone for scissors after that little story about Stefan.'

Elena left him smirking on the couch, pouring another glass of scotch as Elena went to find her phone to call Jenna. She gave it a second thought though, remembering all the qualities in her that Damon admired before returning to the couch. She wasn't easily walked over. Damon eyed her suspiciously.

'Best of three?' she offered in answer to his unspoken question of what she was doing.

He simply shook his head.

'Nope'

Knowing she wasn't going to win this particular battle she took off in search of her phone, muttering 'ass' under her breath knowing full well her vampire fiancé would be able to hear it loud and clear.

* * *

Well what did you think? Please stick with this if you can, I will try to make it better!x


	5. Chapter 5

**Title:** Lineage

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note:**Wow, so many reviews! Honestly folks, you are the best. I don't think I've had so many reviews for a fic that's only 4 chapters long! It's such a motivation boost! And here is chapter 5…Now I'm really happy with this for some reason, and I don't know why! But let me know what you all think.

Next chapter is when Elena and Damon tell Jenna and Ric their news…3 different times.

Oh and to the reviewers who left a review but didn't sign in to leave it, thank you so much. I can't reply to your review as I normally would so I wanted to take the chance here to tell you all how much the review mean…thanks!

Ave x

* * *

He heard the soft humming of the refrigerator before he noticed she wasn't in bed beside him. He was used to waking up to find her in the bathroom or sitting reading a book. Her sleeping pattern was completely out of whack the past couple of weeks. Not that he could blame her. After all, she did tell him every day that it was like carrying around a prize-winning watermelon under her shirt so how would he like it? And don't even talk to him about _fluid_ _retention_.

But the covers beside him were cold so he knew she'd been gone a while. Reluctantly he got himself up, not bothering to pull on a t-shirt before going downstairs to find his wife. _Wife_, he was still getting used to saying that.

He found her sitting cross legged in front of the open fridge surrounded by tubs of food and condiments.

'Elena, it's 4.30 in the morning,' he screwed his eyes a little at the glare from the open fridge, 'come back to bed.'

'Can't,' she mumbled, shoveling potato chips into her mouth, but not before dipping them in coleslaw and placing a pickle on top of it, 'I'm hungry and too warm. So I'm sitting here in front of the fridge. Killing two birds with one stone. I'm a genius.'

'No kiddin' Sir Isaac,' he muttered in response to her new law of cooling. He continued to observe her eating…if that's what you call shoveling food down her throat.

'That can't be healthy,' he asked, gesturing towards the unusual combination of foodstuffs she was scooping into her mouth before taking a seat on the floor beside her.

She turned to look at him, well glared more like, and huffed down the remaining potato chips.

'It's not me that wants to eat, it's _your_ baby that's making me do it. They're called cravings you know.'

'Funny, I always thought that was just an excuse for pregnant women to eat whatever they liked.'

'Does it look like I want to be eating this? I don't even like pickles,' she grumbled.

He grinned remembering their trip to Georgia when he hoovered up all the food on her plate that she turned her nose up at.

'I know. Just don't go mixing those pickles with ice-cream or anything like that.' He visibly grimaced and she laughed at his discomfort at the thought. 'And you think I'm gross for downing some O-Neg every now and again.'

'And now I feel sick. Thanks Damon,' she muttered as she pushed away the tub of coleslaw. He helped to pick her up.

'Look I know your hormones are making you all crazy but Elena it's seriously messing with my beauty sleep. Have a little consideration.'

'Wow, you're _so_ _understanding_.'

'That's my middle name sugar.'

He winked at Elena as he poured a glass of water for her and watched her try to sit on the stool. She was six months pregnant and reminded him of it every single day with her mood swings. Still, she looked radiant. She was in pyjama shorts and a tank top that rode up a little over her neat bump but she still took his breath away.

'You know what I'd really like?' she whispered, leaning seductively over the counter work top.

'Elena we've talked about this, I'm not having sex with you until that baby is outta you.'

She threw a dishcloth at his head, successfully hitting him smack in the face.

'No, not that. Although that _would_ be nice.'

'Wouldn't it?' he grinned back at her, having successfully fished the cloth away from over his face but she was all but growling at him now, 'Ok then, what would you _really_ _like_?'

He looked at her staring at him, completely serious.

'Bacon. I really want…bacon.'

'Alright, alright,' he groaned giving in to her yet again.

Elena watched him rifle through the kitchen cabinets to find a frying pan then turn on the stove, being careful not to catch fire and turn himself into a pile of ash. She was having a completely different kind of craving watching Damon work away in front of her, half naked. She reminded herself it was the smell of the bacon that was making her mouth water, and nothing to do with her husband's rippling shoulder muscles.

'How would you like it?'

Elena was caught in a daze as she found Damon looking at her, smirking.

'Huh…what?'

He knew _exactly_ what was going through her mind at that particular point in time and saw no point in _not_ taking the opportunity to mock her.

'Well Elena I know how you like _that_ but I was actually referring to your bacon.'

She blushed and rubbed her eyes before looking back at him.

'Crispy thanks.'

He smirked again. 'Why don't you go upstairs and I'll bring it up to you when I'm done. You're looking a little…flushed.'

She nodded meekly, silently cursing the damn pregnancy hormones that made her so goddamn horny. It didn't help that she had a husband who wouldn't tend to those particular urges. Apparently no scientific findings or research could convince him that by having sex with her it would not hurt the baby.

When Damon finally came back to the room with her bacon sandwich she grabbed the plate from him, groaning as she at last took a bite.

'Good to know I can still satisfy _some_ of your urges.'

She growled at him as she practically inhaled the rest of the sandwich.

'Thank you. I suppose settling at least one of my cravings is better than nothing.'

He groaned from beside her on the bed.

'Elena, I've told you…'

She cut him off before he could finish his sentence.

'Don't start Damon. I know what you're going to say and I don't believe a word of it. I know the real reason you won't sleep with me because I'm fat. I'm bloated, I have swollen ankles and _these_…' she gestured pointing to her enlarged chest, '…are just ridiculous.'

He laughed at her vocalized frustration.

'Oh believe me, I have no problem with _those_…' he muttered pointing at her very much bustier chest, '…or anything else Elena.'

'Then what's the problem?' she sulked.

He gave in and pulled her towards him.

'There is no problem Elena, I just don't think it's _natural_ that's all.'

She frowned.

'Not _natural_? Damon exactly what part of me having my vampire husband's baby do you think is _natural_?'

'Are you kidding me? It's _perfectly_ natural' he said rolling his eyes as he turned her over and settled between her legs, pushing the hair away from her eyes.

'Stop reading more into it than there is Elena. You're beautiful, now even more so.'

She felt his hands move swiftly down from her face, over her chest and finally resting on her bump, caressing it gently.

'And you want to know what else?'

She was light headed from feeling him on top of her, her hormones going crazy yet again.

'What?' she managed to croak, feeling his lips brush her cheek slightly sending her already heightened senses into overdrive.

'Not only are _you_ beautiful…'

Focus Elena, focus.

'Mmhmm.'

He continued to stroke her stomach gently, lazily laying kisses along her jaw and down her neck.

Whispering against her neck he continued.

'But our child is going to be beautiful too.'

She loved it when he displayed love and affection for their unborn child, not that she would tell him that. But right now all it was doing was driving her wild for him to just have his way with her already!

'Really,' was all she was able to get out, almost tearing up at his words. He nodded into the crook of her neck.

'Was there ever any doubt? Of course my kid's going to be a looker, I mean, with me for its father how could it not be?'

She moaned loudly as he quickly flipped off her and turned the covers over them both before putting out the bedside lamp.

And there she was – well fed yet unsatisfied.

'Oh and you're going to want to brush your teeth too before you go to sleep. You're death breath in the morning is bad enough without your pickle craving adding to the mix.'

He quickly leaned back over to give her a kiss on the cheek before returning to his previous position. 'Night wife.'

'You're an ass,' she huffed, turning over herself to get comfortable sure of the fact that she hadn't managed to convince Damon to just _do_ her, 'I just really hope this baby doesn't get your over-inflated, sadistic ego on top of your looks.'

* * *

Well guys I hope you liked it. Thanks to all the fantastic people who have put this on their alerts...It's just as great getting those notifications as well as getting reviews x


	6. Chapter 6

**Title:** He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note:**It's honestly ridiculous the number of reviews I got for Chapter 5, thank you sooooo much from the bottom of my cold black heart!

I tried to keep all of the 'Elena and Damon confess' stories to one chapter but decided to do them as individual chapters because I got carried away with myself.

Yep, they're moving in together. Elena tells Jenna she's moving in with Damon. She's not pregnant or engaged yet. Hope you enjoy it. I'm really not that happy with it but I did my best. The next one will be Damon and Elena telling them the news that Elena is miraculously with child.

Ave x

* * *

Damon was a fan of family night. It was just so _normal_. Jenna was actually a good cook, even if he did have to help out every now and again with his own culinary skill. He suspected she'd perfected her own skills years ago, after all the saying goes; the way to a man's heart is through his stomach.

Alaric wasn't terrible company either. The guy would loosen up with a drink in him, and well, drinking was possibly one of Damon's favourite past times. Hardly the stuff BFFs were made of but it did warrant Ric a place as one of Damon's speed dials.

Elena was nervous though, he could see that by the way she kept looking at him over the dinner table giving him a 'don't you dare say a word' kind of look, which only made him smirk. Hell it was her news to tell them not his, but it was such fun teasing her he couldn't stop himself. Telling Jenna and Ric about how he was going to have to find some more space in his closet and how he had just ordered a brand spanking new hardwood king size bed from Europe left them looking pretty confused. They just gave him a weird look of 'okaay' as he wittered on. But they'd figure it out soon enough..._if_ Elena ever _grew a pair_ and just told them.

He had to give Jenna credit. She had taken finding out about vampires, witches and all things that go bump in the night pretty much in her stride. Now that Stefan was out the picture having completely relapsed on human blood Jenna appreciated that if she couldn't just shut her eyes and pretend they didn't exist, then she'd rather have Damon around to look out for them...for Elena. He told himself it was obviously because Jenna had always liked him better than Stefan...what's not to like?

He was _ridiculously hot_ after all.

After they finished dinner, Elena began to clear the table as Jenna and Ric moved to the living room. Damon went to the kitchen handing her the dirty dishes as she placed them in the dishwasher. He watched as she refused to look at him.

'Are you planning on telling them anytime soon or are you waiting for the turn of the next century? Because as you know, I have _all_ the time in the world.'

'Damon sshht...!' she growled but it was too late as Jenna walked in with her wine glass looking for a re-fill.

'Tell us what exactly?'

Damon went to pour her another glass but stopped himself as he looked at his nervous girlfriend, corking the bottle again before simply handing it to Jenna instead.

'Here just take the bottle. You're probably gonna need it,' he sighed as she looked mightily confused, her raised eyebrows being a dead giveaway.

'Ok, what the hell is going on?'

Elena gave Damon her patented death glare as she motioned for Jenna to sit down at the kitchen island.

'Well it's not that big a deal.'

Jenna was unconvinced.

'If it wasn't anything to worry about you would have told me already.'

Elena groaned, knowing she was going to have to come clean having put off telling Jenna about her decision for far too long.

'Ok fine, I just wanted to tell you that I've decided,' she paused for a moment to gather herself, 'to put off college for a year...'

'Oh,' Jenna paused, trying not to freak out, 'well I guess that's understandable considering what you've been through this year,' she reasoned tentatively, not realising that Elena wasn't finished.

'...and I'm moving in with Damon.'

'You're what?' Jenna roared.

Damon had never in his life seen a woman move that fast, at least not one without vampire capabilities. Before he knew it, Jenna had him backed up against the kitchen worktop brandishing a lit gas oven lighter at him. Elena stood mouth agape.

'Did you compel her? Did you?' she demanded but the words to reply just didn't come to him.

He was speechless, holding his hands up in the air like Jenna was pointing a Glock semi-automatic pistol at him. He was silently begging Elena to do something but in the end it was Alaric who came to his rescue...momentarily anyway.

'Woah, woah, woah,' he yelled as he came into the kitchen to find his girlfriend threatening the vampire, 'what the hell is going on?'

'Alaric get a leash on your woman...please!' he practically growled out, knowing that Elena wouldn't let him live this down in a very long time.

'What's going on?' Jenna's question was rhetorical of course, 'What's going on? Well, Elena's only decided that she's going to move in with Hugh Hefner over here, that's what's going on!' she ground out before turning back to her niece, mocking her openly, 'Great idea Einstein.'

Still upset she reluctantly let Alaric prise the lighter out of her hands.

'Well let's talk about this instead of committing murder in our kitchen ok?' Ric tried to reason.

'It's not murder if he's dead already,' Jenna snarled.

Damon was not impressed at how Elena had handled this situation. She just stood there and said nothing, although he really didn't suppose Jenna would have reacted any other way when told. They all moved over to the kitchen table, Jenna not once taking her eyes off Damon. Seems like there are two women Damon is scared off, Pearl (god rest her eternally damned soul) and Jenna Sommers.

Alaric tried to play mediator as Elena and Damon sat on one side of the table with Jenna on the other.

'Ok Elena, sweetheart,' he hoped the softly softly approach would maybe work, 'this isn't just something you rush into, you've only been together like what...a month? People need to be together longer than that before making a commitment like this.'

'You and Jenna have only been together a couple of months longer than Damon and I but you're happily living in sin,' she countered. Damon had to give her credit; she knew how to fight her corner.

'That's different, we haven't just turned 18...' Jenna tried to drill home to her niece.

Damon was the only one to hear Alaric mutter 'I wish' under his breath, causing him to snigger lightly. Shame Jenna's hearing managed to pick _that_ up and she quickly turned on him.

'I don't know what you're laughing about. You're taking advantage of her. You think I don't know what you'll be getting out of this little scenario?'

'Jenna!' Elena shrieked looking absolutely mortified at the reference to her sex life.

'Oh don't look at me like that, he's a guy, of course that's what he's after. Men for Dummies, chapter one. What men want –a woman to run around after him, food, sex, and not necessarily in that order! You're giving him all three in one!'

Elena and Alaric groaned in unison at the way the conversation was heading. Man, she could give Damon a run for his money in the witty comeback stakes but the man decided to finally stand up for himself.

'Well I can't promise that the last thing on that list of 'how-to-please-your-man' isn't going to happen,' he grinned narrowly avoiding the flying bottle cork Jenna launched at him, 'but I can assure you, she'll be perfectly safe.'

Elena decided to chip in and finally help her boyfriend out.

'Jenna, this makes sense ok. I'm hardly here anyway; even when you think I'm here I'm probably at the boarding house.' Jenna turned to look at Elena, bemused at just how all of this had gotten past her. 'This is what I want ok?'

Jenna still didn't look convinced.

'Look, you guys _just_ moved in together,' nodding towards Jenna and Alaric, 'wouldn't you like to have the place to yourselves?'

Jenna shook her head.

'Elena this is your home, I don't want you to feel pushed out. If that's why you're doing this then...'

Elena couldn't take much more and resorted to dirty tactics. Ones which she was sure Damon would approve of.

'Jenna I was trying to be polite about this but seriously you guys should have the place to _yourselves_, you already act like you do...I mean these walls are really thin ok? I'm not sure I can take much more.'

Jenna went a bright shade of crimson as Alaric downed his scotch n soda, not missing the 'good-on—you-son' wink that Damon sent his way. Clearly embarrassed and after considering things for a moment or two, Jenna decided not to fight her niece on this any further. She was old enough to make her own choices, even if she didn't agree with them all the time.

'I'm not happy about this.'

Thankful that the green light had now been signalled Damon relaxed in his chair, no longer anxious that the tension of the situation would give him wrinkles.

'Pfft, you're not happy about it? Have you seen how much crap she has up there?' he asked, glancing up towards the ceiling being Elena's bedroom, 'I don't know how I'm ever going to find room for it.'

Jenna stared at the bottle he'd given her minutes before grabbing and drinking straight from it. She then replied rather unsympathetically.

'Well _Dracula_, that's _your_ problem now, _not_ mine. So who's up for charades?' she asked, seemingly already rather tipsy, 'Anyone? No? Well alright, drinking it is then,' she said, answering her own question and swigging from the bottle again.

* * *

So there it is, the next chapters is written too so the sooner you review, the sooner I'll post, i'm evil like that!

Love Ave x


	7. Chapter 7

**Title:** He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note:**** You readers are immense! **Thank you once again for such brilliant reviews – 26 for one chapter! THANK YOU! I tried to reply to all the reviews and for those I couldn't, I just want to say thank you for sticking with this. I love you all!

Now, here is where Damon and Elena tell Jenna and Ric that she is happily 'up the duff' as we say here in Scotland. This chapter is quite long I guess, but I hope you like it.

I'm trying my best to not make Elena grumpy _all_ the time, but I do think that she would be a terrible worrier if she was ever in this situation and it would affect her moods. I promise some nice!Elena in the next chapter ok?

Enjoy!

Ave x

* * *

She was frantically stirring pots and checking the oven. The table was set on the patio outside and there was wine cooling in the fridge. Not that she was allowed any. No, Damon had stocked up knowing Elena had invited Jenna and Ric to the boarding house for dinner. He surmised that she was finally going to tell them about the baby – and that, would require a lot of alcohol. About time too, they'd kept the secret for nearly 3 months, but she was starting to show and there were only so many of his expensive John Varvatos cashmere sweaters he was going to let her ruin to hide her expanding stomach.

'Elena will you stop _freaking_ out...it's only dinner.'

She'd really gone to town on this get together.

'It's not just dinner. This is the first time Jenna's been here since I moved out. And I want to show them that I am coping just fine,' stopping before adding the comment that she knew would upset him.

'..._And_ that I want to prove that I'm capable of being a stay at home mom. So that includes making dinner.'

'Woah, slow down. Stay at home what?'

He took the wooden spoon out of her hand and turned her towards him. He'd be damned if she was going to give up everything good about her life just for him and this kid. He wanted her to still _have_ a life. 'I don't think so. You're _going_ to college Elena.'

She took the spoon back off him and began to stir the pot again, taking a quick taste of the Carbonara sauce she'd made from scratch. Satisfied the contents were not a complete culinary disaster she put the spoon down and turned to Damon.

'Are you actually _practicing_ the unreasonable 'dad' routine now?' she mocked as she turned off the hob. She didn't want to talk about this, they had more important things to be worrying about at that particular point in time. 'Look, let's not discuss this now. They'll be here any minute.'

She could tell he was miffed, but now really wasn't the time to be having that conversation. She took off her apron and straightened her black dress. It was the only one she had that didn't cling to her now barely noticeable bump.

'How do I look?' she asked nervously, hoping that he would forget about her passing comment and just be there for her like he had for the past couple of months. He didn't disappoint as he took both her hands and pulled her toward him. He sighed and pushed their non-discussion to the back of his mind.

'You look _radiant_,' he replied brushing a swift kiss along her cheek interrupted only by the sound of the door bell. He straightened the collar of his shirt and cocked his head giving her a genuine smile, 'Come on princess, let's do this.'

His left arm snaked around her back as he walked her to the door. As they opened it Damon plastered the biggest toothy grin onto his face.

'Ric, Jenna, _so_ pleased you could join us this evening. Welcome to Casa Salvatore, please leave your inhibitions at the door.'

Jenna looked nervous but laughed off Damon's marginally amusing joke, coming in and handing a bottle of wine to him.

'Thank you very much. Let me take your jackets.'

'New car?' Alaric motioned to the Honda CR-V sitting in the drive that had replaced his classic Chevy.

Damon growled a little.

'Ric, if we're going to get through this night without me killing anything or anyone, do _not_ mention that monstrosity to me.'

Alaric didn't dare ask anymore, trailing behind Damon as he led him outside to the patio where Elena and Jenna were already making themselves comfortable.

'Can I tempt you with a glass of wine Jenna?'

It was a stupid question really.

'Might as well bring out a bottle,' Ric replied before his girlfriend had the chance, Jenna in turn giving him a glare.

Damon complied with Ric's request and had brought out a bottle of Chianti on a tray with 3 glasses and a glass of sparkling water for Elena. Jenna frowned again.

'Elena, I know you're only 18 but you can have a glass of wine you know. Believe it or not when I was your age I would have the _occasional_ drink.'

Elena, sipping at her water almost spluttered at Jenna minimizing just how wild she was.

'Occasional? Mom used to tell me the horror stories about how wasted you got. She even told me about this one time you got stuck up a tree and the fire department had to get called.'

Both Ric and Damon sniggered at the image of Jenna getting stuck up some tree whilst drunk.

'Well...' Jenna shrugged, '...I was the rebellious one.'

'Amen to that!' Damon praised, raising his glass, his other hand taking Elena's and giving it a squeeze.

'Anyway, I'm not drinking because I have to make sure dinner isn't a disaster, which speaking of dinner, I better go start serving up. Damon would you help?'

He nodded, 'Anything for you.'

Ric rolled his eyes and Jenna smiled into her wine glass, seemingly content that this move for Elena was working out.

In the kitchen, however, the show of happiness was cracking.

'I can't do this,' Elena complained, dishing out the pasta as he cut the garlic bread, 'I can't tell her. What was I thinking? She's going to completely freak out and then I'll have to do all of this alone.'

Damon's eyes darted to look at her without moving his head.

'I'm going to pretend,' he paused in between slicing the bread, 'that I didn't hear that. How many times do I need to tell you that I'm not going anywhere? It's like I don't even matter.'

'Damon you know that's not what I meant. It's different for a girl, I need her support. You could try being a little more sensitive.'

He knew he was being unreasonable but she was going to have to get used to relying on him, whether she liked it or not. If Jenna took the news badly it wasn't the end of the world. They would figure it out together.

'Well _I'm_ not telling her. You do remember that I almost ended up as a pile of ash on your kitchen floor the last time? If you want me around to help bring up this kid then I suggest you get over your _irrational_ fear of Jenna abandoning you and just _tell_ _her_ already.'

'Your a dick.'

'And you love me for it,' he retorted, as she brushed passed him with the plates.

They ate and talked about the weather as Damon tried to get back onto Elena's good side. It didn't work.

'Damon,' Ric growled, noisily dropping his cutlery onto his plate, 'that's _my_ foot you're trying to play with under the table.'

Elena and Jenna both looked at each other momentarily before bursting out in spontaneous laughter as a red-faced Damon drew daggers at the Teacher sitting across from him. Elena was still annoyed at Damon's attitude from earlier in the kitchen. She hated how up and down her hormones made her right now; she needed the Damon from an hour ago, the Damon that stood in the kitchen and told her what she needed to hear, the Damon that made her believe that he meant it.

'So Elena,' Jenna had managed to compose herself, sipping away at her wine, 'we haven't had much of a chance to catch up what's new with you?'

Sometimes she doesn't think before she speaks. She wished there was a cure for that. But rightly or wrongly, she was still angry.

'Nothing much, not unless you call Damon knocking me up something new.'

She twirled another forkful of spaghetti around her fork and shovelled it into her mouth, washing it down with a drink of water, but not before raising her glass in a toast to her news with a wry smile.

Damon for sure didn't see it coming. Any of it. His head shot up aghast at how casually Elena had dropped that little bomb into the conversation, but by focusing on Elena, he didn't see Alaric's fist come flying over the table at him, connecting squarely with his jaw. Everyone heard the bone break.

But before Damon could send one of his own right back, the choking woman beside him caught his attention. Jenna looked almost blue. He had no idea if it was because of the shock of hearing how her sensible, intelligent niece had managed to fall pregnant to a blood sucking vampire or if it was because her airway was blocked and she couldn't breathe. He didn't hang around to ask as he quickly hauled Jenna out of her seat, wrapped his arms around her from behind and started making a few abdominal thrusts that he usually kept for demonstrating in the bedroom. It wasn't long before Jenna coughed up whatever she'd been choking on.

He almost wished he hadn't bothered as Jenna, still struggling to breathe normally, whipped herself around and slapped him on the other side of his face this time.

'You're welcome,' he growled at Jenna, glaring at his girlfriend who was looking on in horror, 'could you guys have maybe tried to hit me somewhere other than the face? You're damaging the goods!'

'I'll damage your _goods_ so much you'll be lucky to get it up in future let alone get my 18 year old niece pregnant!'

Ric by this time had come to her side and sat her down, rubbing her shoulders gently whilst Damon glared at his own girlfriend.

'What the hell Elena? You could have broken it to her a little more gently.'

Elena shrugged.

'Look I'm sorry ok, I tried that the last time and look what happened. This time I thought I'd try a different approach.'

He was stunned at how nonchalant she was about it all.

'By killing Jenna?'

By this time Jenna had regained her composure and had gulped down her glass of wine instead of the water Ric was trying to foist onto her.

'Elena what has gotten into you? I just don't understand.' Jenna shook her head, begging for answers.

Ric was almost apoplectic with rage.

'Neither do I. This is impossible! How did _he_ manage to get you pregnant?'

'Now Alaric, did your mother never tell you the story about the birds and the bees?'

The eyes were almost popping out of Ric's head when he responded to Damon's taunt, pointing his finger at him to emphasise just how pissed he was.

'Do not give me any more reason to drive a stake into your chest cavity. You know exactly what I mean. I don't know about you but I always thought vampires were _sterile_,' Damon grimaced at the slant on his manliness as Ric continued, 'I thought this wasn't even possible.'

Elena had seemed to come to her senses by this point and went over to her aunt, kneeling down in front of her to make sure she was alright. Elena felt like she had to help Damon out by taking some of the heat off of him.

'We didn't know it was possible either. We still don't know how it happened. I'm so sorry Jenna, I never wanted to disappoint you.'

'You're only 18 Elena. I know that you have a wise head on those young shoulders but it's not just about being sensible enough to take care of a baby, it's about all the opportunities you might miss out on. I swear I'm going to kill him this time.'

Jenna looked up from her niece and towards the vampire who was sitting again, trying to understand how this had gone so badly, again.

'The teacher won't save you this time pretty boy.'

Elena was nowhere near satisfied that her aunt wasn't going to go postal on either of them but what could she say that was going to make it any easier on them both? She went and sat on Damon's knee as he prodded his face to make sure his jawbone set properly after Ric had broken it.

'I know that it might seem like it, but even with all the time in the world, by being with Damon and spending my life with him, I would have missed out on the biggest opportunity of them all, and that's having my own children. But now it's not something I have to worry about. It's what I want Jenna,' she said forcefully, 'and it's happening.'

Alaric was just sitting shaking his head, the concerns and worries that were flying through his mind were clear to see on his face.

'How do you know this baby is normal, you know...that it can't hurt you? How do you know it's not half-vampire or something?'

Jenna gasped as she realised just how dangerous this could be for Elena.

'You, Ricky boy, have been reading far too many Stephanie Meyer novels,' Damon interjected.

'How many times,' Ric asked, looking towards the heavens, 'Stop calling me Ricky!'

Elena stopped _that_ argument before it began.

'We're pretty sure that everything is _normal_ ok, we've been to the doctor and once Damon quit trying to use the ultrasound machine to detect his _non_-heartbeat, they gave me my first scan. They think i'm almost 14 weeks.'

Something seemed to click in Jenna's head at this point, the fear and worry disappearing from her features.

'You've...you've seen the baby?'

Elena nodded as the grin spread from ear to ear. They'd only been to the hospital that morning for her first scan. Having caught the first glimpse of their baby, Elena had wanted to tell her aunt as soon as possible. She couldn't tell herself anymore that it was just some dream.

'Did you get a picture?'

Elena nodded again and Damon pulled his wallet from his trouser pocket, before taking out a little square piece of paper, unfolding it and passing it to Jenna.

She stared at the black and white image, clearly showing the shape of the baby's head.

'I just, can't believe it,' she murmured, looking up at her niece, 'you're almost 14 weeks? I couldn't even tell.'

'It's getting more noticeable now.'

Damon leaned over to pour Ric and Jenna another glass of wine, returning his arm around Elena, his hand resting on the small bump he could feel under her dress.

'This is a lot to take in, I mean, how are you even going to raise a kid? I don't mean to rain on your _celebration_ guys but there's a lot more to consider here than your average expectant parents. How are you going to explain what you are to this kid when he or she notices you're not getting older? That's hardly fair on it.'

Ric's question was directed at Damon, but he knew deep down he was talking to them both as he was sure that the thought of turning had crossed Elena's mind once or twice. He wasn't happy about that either.

'We haven't come up with all the answers yet, but that's why we need your support,' Elena tried to reason, feeling Damon's hand tighten around her protectively, 'if anything ever happens to us, I need to know you'll both be here to look after our child. You're the only people I can trust to do that.'

Alaric and Jenna looked at each other, the ultrasound picture and then at the happy, but anxious couple sitting opposite. Jenna sighed and smiled at Elena, who in turn released the tension in her body. Damon pulled her closer and kissed her shoulder.

'Ok I'm in, but I'm still not happy about this.'

'Now Jenna, you said that the _last_ time and look how wonderful that turned out!'

Damon grinned at Jenna as he took the ultrasound picture back and placed it back inside his wallet.

'I have a stake in my Prada handbag Damon and I'm not afraid to use it.'

Damon pretended to look mortally wounded before directing Jenna and Ric back to the table to finish dinner.

'Now now, let's keep the entertainment until after we've had dessert huh? Tiramisu anyone?'

* * *

Not sure about this chapter either, so let me know what you think. The next chapter is ready to be posted so get reviewing if you can!

x


	8. Chapter 8

**Title:** He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **Once again I'm totally floored by the positive response to this collection of stories. It has completely blown my mind. I want to thank each and every person who has read and reviewed which is why I'm going to try and put in some chapters that readers suggest – so get PM'ing me.

A particular thanks to Delena2010 (you are amazing Kat, believe me) and to toffeenutlatte (Alli, so good to have a sensible sounding board to know I'm not going completely off-base with this).

Now this chapter probably concludes the little series of flash-backs that rounds up how Damon & Elena wind up living together, pregnant and married. Although, I will do a one-shot of their 'happy' day. I haven't posted the chapters in any particular order, so there will be some coming up that will kind of go back to the early stages of Elena's pregnancy but I'll do my best to make sure I make it clear that this is what's happening. If it's getting confusing, just let me know.

And now to the story...

Enjoy!

Ave x

* * *

Elena decided that calling Jenna to tell her she was getting married was not the best way to drop that bomb. It had nothing to do with Damon begging to do it in person just so he could see Alaric squirm at the pressure he would feel to then get down on bended knee to Jenna.

'Come on, it will be _hilarious_.'

'You have a cruel sense of humour Damon.'

She was lying on her back admiring the beautiful ring that now adorned the fourth finger on her left hand. He lay on his side, head propped up on his arm with his other hand resting on her stomach.

'I think that's why you love me, well that and my _outrageously huge_...'

'Damon...' she protested.

'..._ego_, Elena. I was going to say _ego_.Get your head out of the gutter woman!'

She shook her head, knowing that he was probably right; she did love those things about him. Not that she'd admit it.

'Seriously though, we should tell them as soon as possible. I have at most 4 weeks to get this ceremony organised before I have to buy a tent instead of a wedding dress, which by the way, I'm going to need your credit card for.'

'You're just marrying me for my money,' he pouted.

Elena laughed and moved to get out of bed, throwing a dressing gown on.

'If I was, I'd have married you ages ago.'

'Damn, now you tell me.'

She climbed back into bed and sat cross legged in front of him, leaning down to give him a kiss.

'So we going to tell them tonight?'

'I suppose that would be alright, but a public place this time. If they even so much as sneeze in the direction of my pretty face I want witnesses.'

She smoothed down the stray hairs on his head, smiling fondly at her _fiancé._ That still gave her a head rush.

'And _do not_ just flash the ring at her and hope for the best. It'll end up a bloodbath. Most likely mine'

'Relax Damon, I'll go easy, I promise. _Heaven_ _forbid_ Jenna tries to kill you..._again_.'

He smirked at her sarcasm. He was definitely beginning to rub off on her.

'I'll book a table at the Grill for tonight. You,' he paused to kiss her forehead before getting out of bed, 'go make yourself beautiful.'

'That'll be hard' she grumbled, 'I can't fit into my favourite jeans anymore.'

'Would you just buy maternity jeans already? Honestly, you women are so frustratingly paranoid about wearing elasticated jeans.'

'_Never_,' she scowled, 'utter those last two words to me together again please. I'll find something else to wear.'

* * *

Three hours and fourteen outfit changes later they finally arrived at the Grill, Damon a little pissed that the first dress she had tried was the one she eventually settled on. He could have had 3 Scotches by now if they'd gotten there sooner.

Jenna and Alaric were already there. And Ric had a drink in his hand. _Bastard_.

'Good Evening Jenna' he greeted, giving her a kiss on the cheek before shaking hands with her other half, 'Alaric, I hope you have ordered me a drink.'

He nodded and almost on cue the waitress brought a round of drinks, including a large Scotch which Damon downed in one go motioning to the waitress for another.

'Tough day?' Jenna inquired.

'You have no idea, how was I to know elasticated jeans were such a touchy subject?'

Elena pushed him roughly, indicating that she was not impressed he had just violated her rule.

'You're a guy you have no clue about a woman's struggle with fashion,' Jenna shrugged, sympathising with Elena.

They ordered dinner and things were going surprisingly well. Damon actually liked these humans, apart from when they threatened to kill him every now and again. Elena purposely kept her ring in the box and put it in her bag so not to give the game away. She engaged in general conversation with both Jenna and Ric, sending a smile every now and again to Damon.

'So Ric, how's school been? Still enjoying Mystic High?' Elena asked making conversation. Being in her final year, she hadn't had much time to see him around school.

Ric nodded and raised his eyebrows considering the question.

'Well...there are good days and bad days. And when I'm having a bad day I just sit back and remember the three very important reasons I became a teacher – June, July and August. I'm already counting down to summer break.'

'That bad huh?'

He nodded again as Jenna laughed lightly taking his hand in hers to console him.

'So, how've you two been? Any coronary inducing news to tell us this time? I've noticed that family dinners seem to be your way of delivering bad news of late.'

Damon smirked at Jenna's blunt way of fishing for the reason they'd been asked out for dinner.

'Well funny you should say that...'

Before Elena got a chance to finish, Jenna had downed the rest of her wine and was now glaring at Damon.

'For the love of God, what now? It's not twins is it?'

'Holy hell no!' Damon was quick to get out.

Elena frowned at him and looked back at her aunt.

'No, it's nothing like that, it's just that,' she waited for Jenna to finish swallowing her food before continuing, 'well, we've decided that we want to get married.'

Elena smiled nervously as Damon screwed his eyes shut waiting for the punch or slap, but surprisingly it didn't come. He blinked one eye open to see Jenna and Ric looking at one and other before back at Elena and him.

'God you two really get the natural order of things royally screwed up don't you?'

Elena looked at her aunt in disbelief. No threats, no choking, almost no reaction at all.

'I have to agree with Jenna,' Alaric added, 'you're supposed to get married, move in and then start a family. You've gotten everything backwards.'

'Well this was not the reaction I expected,' Elena noted, not sure if she was thankful the punches weren't flying or not.

'I could scream and yell if you want me to, believe you me I have a few choice insults for you,' she pointed at Damon, '_or_ I can just say congratulations and carry on celebrating with more wine,' Jenna smiled, 'choice is yours.'

Elena leaned closer in to Damon and whispered softly, 'are you sure you didn't compel them?'

He scowled and replied, just as confused as Elena was 'the thought crossed my mind after the last two occasions but, sadly no, I didn't compel them.'

Jenna could see that Elena was really quite troubled with how well she and Ric had taken their latest news.

'Elena, honey, I know better than to tell you not to do something, and besides, you've proven me wrong with everything else recently, this is clearly..._working_ so I'm happy for you. It's a little sooner than I'd like but it's not like I couldn't see it coming. Unlike Damon who, even with all his nifty little vampire tricks can't avoid a punch when it's thrown.'

Ric smirked and Jenna raised her glass towards Damon who rolled his eyes and smiled wryly. Elena was unbelievably thankful that this would not be turning into another tug of war between them both.

'Good I'm glad you're on board, because we have a wedding to plan in less than four weeks. I'm gonna need your help.'

'I can't believe my niece is getting married before me. It's so..._sad_!' Jenna complained, looking longingly at the ring which Elena had since retrieved from her bag, 'so beautiful' she murmured.

Elena and Jenna then got up and went to the ladies in between waiting for their dessert to discuss wedding strategy and curse the baby's newest favourite position of pressing on Elena's bladder.

'Dude, you could have given me some warning.'

Damon swirled his Scotch in the glass before tossing it down his throat.

'Gotta keep you on your toes Ric.'

Ric nodded and downed his own drink, signalling for another from a passing waiter.

'What happened to you? You used to be the last person I would think of to want to settle down,' he said to his vampire companion, 'You're making me look bad man.'

'_You_, are making yourself look bad Ric. Seriously, a blazer? You couldn't be more like a stereotypical Teacher if you tried,' Damon drawled.

'I'm being serious.'

'So am I.'

Their replacement drinks arrived and both drank tentatively.

'Come on Damon, as the only guy in this town who you don't need to compel to talk to you, you could have run this crazy idea past me first. I thought we were friends.'

Ric was beginning to get drunk and leaned lazily over the table. Damon just found this amusing, hardly intimidating.

'That was before you punched me, _friend_. And I didn't realise I had to ask your _permission_ to marry my girlfriend.'

'Well if you think about it,' at which point Ric stopped and rolled his eyes doing the family math in his head, 'Technically, I am her step-father considering the fact I was married to her mother.'

Damon nodded and raised his eyebrows as if to say, 'I'll give you that' as Ric continued.

'I'm dating her aunt who is her legal guardian, _and_ I'm probably the closest thing she has to a father figure in her life...so yeah, I'm pretty sure you do need my _permission_.'

Damon growled low in his throat.

'I'm _not_ asking _you_ for Elena's hand in marriage.'

'Why not?' Alaric looked offended.

'Because you'll say no, and then I'll have to kill you.'

'Good luck trying,' Ric smirked.

There was a time when Damon would have taken that as a serious challenge, but now he just put it down to Ric's attempted witty banter.

As the ladies returned to the table, both men gave their respective partners a kiss.

'So, what have you two been talking about?' Jenna asked, sipping again at her wine glass.

'Oh nothing much,' Ric responded, 'Just mulling over how Damon decided to buck tradition and not bother asking us for Elena's hand in marriage.'

'Yeah Damon why didn't you ask first?' Jenna asked, 'After all, _you_ of all people should know something about etiquette and manners, considering you were most likely brought up in a time when men actually _had_ them, including _not_ having sex before marriage, but whatever...' surmised Jenna.

'I think,' Ric leaned in whispering in Jenna's ear, 'It's because he wasn't able to grow a pair and pluck up the courage to ask me.'

Jenna quickly answered in a likewise fashion, 'well that's because he knew you'd say no.'

Elena laughed at Jenna and Ric's almost private conversation, prompting her to pet her fiancé's arm muttering 'aww' at his apparent lack of balls. Damon was not amused and threw back the rest of his Scotch.

'Alaric Saltzman I _will_ find a way to kill you, you know,' to which Alaric replied silently with a flick of his middle finger, the one bearing his magic ring.

* * *

Now, I know that Jenna and Ric had a much better reaction to this news but I kind of figured that Damon had been punched enough, and it was time for a different way forward. Don't get me wrong, there will be more tense times because there's a lot more to think about than just a happily ever after, Elena is marrying a vampire for christs sake and Jenna and Ric will have a lot more to say about what their future means...but I hope you will still keep reading!

Thank you for reading.x


	9. Chapter 9

**Title:** He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **I'm running out of ways to thank you guys. Amazing reviews yet again. Thank you so much.

Now this chapter is probably quite fluffy – which isn't really my style but I figured that getting your first ultrasound can turn a guy into a pile of mush. Although this is Damon, he does it in his own way – with style and class!

Hope you like – next chapter is I think going to be Stefan coming back and finding out the happy news!

And now to the story...

Enjoy!

Ave x

* * *

'I hate hospitals,' he grumbled.

Elena smiled and took his hand as they sat in the waiting room of the obstetrician.

'Why's that then?' she asked.

'It's so depressing...and all I can smell is blood.'

She looked affronted and Damon smirked at her reaction.

'Oh relax, I'm not going to go chow down in the emergency room. I gave all that up remember?'

Elena relaxed at the genuine smile he sent her way.

'The things we do for love,' he said absent-mindedly.

'How can you think this is depressing, you're going to see your child for the first time. You could be a _little_ more enthusiastic.'

Damon wasn't about to let on how anxious he was about the whole thing. He'd been taking everything in his stride the past couple of months, _knowing_ Elena was pregnant was easy, but _seeing_ it there on a screen in front of him was a completely different story.

Not to mention he was worried about if the kid was even _human_ and if it was healthy or not.

He smiled back at Elena and squeezed her hand to relieve her concern.

The nurse came and showed them into the exam room and told Elena to get comfortable on the bed. Damon didn't like the look of the stirrups _on_ said bed and prayed to God those wouldn't be used today. He needed more time to prepare for seeing Elena in that kind of position.

'Would you relax and stop pacing,' Elena complained, 'you're making me nervous.'

Damon was relieved to hear it.

'Finally, some acknowledgement that you are _a tad_ worried about all of this.'

'I'm _not_ worried,' she responded indignantly, 'I _know_ everything will be fine with the baby, call it a woman's intuition, but this _you_ is not exactly helping me feel like you're not going to go running for the door any minute.'

Damon knew that this was her biggest fear, well maybe not just Elena's but any pregnant woman's – being left to handle it all on her own. It bugged him she didn't believe that he wouldn't.

'Elena, I'm not going anywhere ok.'

He picked up her right hand and planted a kiss on it. He could feel her heartbeat ease slightly, but she was nowhere near as relaxed as she should be. He had to get her to calm down.

He stood up, taking off his leather jacket. He then began to unbutton his shirt.

'Uh Damon? Damon what are you doing?'

He could hear her heartbeat increase again and frowned. So did Elena.

'You're crazy if you think we're going to get it on in here,' she whispered harshly, straightening her t-shirt and shaking her head.

He just winked at her reaching over for the bottle. He opened his shirt more fully, flashing his abs to her (any excuse really) and squirted the cold gel onto his chest. He winced slightly.

'Ooh...tingles.'

Her face was a picture as he turned on the sonogram machine and started rolling the probe over his upper body, searching for something he knew wouldn't be there.

'What on earth are you doing?' she hissed watching him play with the machine.

'Searching for my heartbeat,' he replied quite matter-of-factly.

The machine was on but it stayed silent.

'You don't have one,' she hissed again.

Well I know that...but just because we know the Loch Ness monster doesn't exist won't stop people from looking for it!'

She watched him fiddle with the machine again, this time drawing it more sensually across his body as Elena eventually broke down into a fit of giggles.

'You're crazy you know that?'

'Comes with being a vampire sweetheart,' he grinned as she shook her head in disbelief at his antics.'

'You're such an idiot sometimes, come here,' she said, motioning for him to give her a kiss.

'Now _that's_ more like it...' he purred as he put down the probe and used a paper towel to wipe the excess gel off his chest. He leaned over the bars at the side of the bed and kissed Elena fully as she grabbed at the lapels of his still unbuttoned shirt.

'Hey, come on, keep it to the bedroom,' the Obstetrician shouted as she walked into the room to find Elena and Damon in a passionate embrace, 'you guys already _made_ the baby, now's the time to see it, _not_ recreate its _conception_.'

Damon groaned as he pulled away and buttoned his shirt, not missing the appreciative look the Obstetrician sent his way when she noticed the rippling muscles of his torso. He just smirked and shook his head. Seriously, he was here with his pregnant girlfriend, as if he was going to flirt over her bed with the doctor. Vampire or not.

He settled down into the seat next to the bed. Elena did as she was told by moving her shirt up to just under her chest and pulled her jeans down a little as she lay flat on the bed. Damon wondered why it was never that easy to get her to do that when he asked. He looked at Elena's stomach as the Obstetrician put on the gel and started to move the probe across it. She still didn't really look like she was pregnant, but the low rumble of the sound wave told both of them, there was definitely something there.

He took her hand without even realising as the image on the screen became clearer, the probe stopping on Elena's stomach, having located the position of her baby.

'And there it is.'

Elena didn't cry, but instead let one single tear roll down her cheek as she could clearly make out the outline of the foetus the doctor was pointing to. It was real. And it had a heartbeat. The breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding was slowly released as she looked over to Damon, who was sitting staring at the machine with a relaxed smile spreading slowly over his features.

'I reckon you're almost 14 weeks going by the size of the baby and you're last menstrual cycle. You know, it's usually too early to tell at this stage but if you want, I'm 99% sure I can tell you the sex of your baby.'

Damon was still glued to the screen not even hearing the doctor. Elena spoke up instead.

'We uh, we haven't really talked about that, so no, I don't want to know...not yet anyway.'

'Ok then, maybe at your next appointment then which will be in six weeks time. I'll print you out a picture of the scan and give you a few moments. There's more paper towels over there to clean yourself up. Both of you.'

The Obstetrician took one final look at Damon trying to look stern about him attempting fornication in her exam room. In the end she just shook her head longingly at how beautiful he and his body was before walking out the room leaving them alone.

'Earth to Damon, you in there?' Elena waved in front of his face as she tried with her other hand to wipe off the excess gel from her stomach.

'I can hear it Elena.'

She heard him but focused on making sure she had all the cold, clear gunk off her stomach as she replied with an 'I know, I heard it too. It's pretty breathtaking.'

'No Elena, you don't understand, I can hear it, the heart beat...'

She looked up at him and could see how intense his face was, like he was confused but not as though he was annoyed about it.

'I can still hear it Elena,' he turned to look at her, 'but the machine is off.'

She shook her head in her own confusion. She knew he had sensitive hearing, he was a vampire after all, but this was bizarre.

'It's there, like a little flutter or something, it's faint, but it's there,' he smiled again, turning towards her, before frowning a little, 'I don't know why I couldn't hear it before.'

She took his face in her hands and kissed himfully, swinging her legs off the bed and launching herself onto his lap. He didn't need to think before pushing his hands up into her hair and pulling her closer to him as his other hand rested on her cold stomach under her t-shirt.

'I love you,' she breathed onto his lips as he kissed her over and over, nodding as he felt Elena getting carried away.

'Come on, I should get you home.'

'Mmhmm' she nodded as he kissed her again. He found it hard to concentrate when she was perched on his lap and grinding into him.

'Seriously I know you find me irresistible but there's a time and a place Elena,' he lectured finally trying to pull himself away from her, 'if you're not careful the doctor will come back in and we'll be banned from ever coming here again. Do you want a home birth? I sure as hell don't.'

'I know,' she whispered in his ear.

He stopped responding to her kisses and pulled her away from him, realising exactly what she was up to.

'You saw her trying to flirt with me didn't you?'

Elena sighed and got up out his lap, nodding shamefully in reply to his question.

'I knew it!' he all but cried out, 'So this was like your _hormonally_ _charged_ version of peeing around me to mark your territory. You wanted her to walk in!'

She smiled seductively and shrugged her shoulders.

'Well Elena, I never pegged you as being into a little _voyeurism_. Don't get me wrong, I like it...' he drawled.

'I blame the hormones,' she replied, picking up the sonogram picture and taking his hand, 'how about you take me home and I'll show you just how _crazy_ they make me?'

'Well when you put it like that...' he reasoned and before she knew it she was in his car and heading back to the boarding house.

* * *

Well, not my _favourite_ chapter, but fun to write nonetheless. Let me know what you think!x


	10. Chapter 10

**Title:** He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **So many reviews – so many thank yous. I try to reply to everyone so thank you for continuing to read this weird yet somehow wonderful (yet ridiculous) fic!

Now this chapter is serious – which isn't really in the style of the story but I figured that if Stefan was going to return, it wouldn't be pretty. And let's be realistic, I think Stefan couldn't really handle seeing Elena with his brother. But, don't worry, it won't all be terrible. I hope.

Split into two parts!

Enjoy!

Ave x

* * *

'I'll get it!' she half-mumbled as she struggled to pull herself out from the comfort of the cushions on the couch.

'Elena I could be on the other side of the house and still get to the door before you,' he yelled back from somewhere upstairs, 'and that's without my neat trick of _superhuman_ speed,'

And it was true. She mentally cursed those extra few pounds that seemed to creep up on her these past couple of weeks. Pretty soon she wouldn't be walking anywhere, she would be waddling. She just thanked the lord that the dress she'd ordered for the wedding was somewhat flattering and flowed from under the chest. A corset bodice might make her _look_ less pregnant but come on; she was having comfort issues even in _sweatpants_.

'Fine,' she replied grumpily and settled herself back down with the baby name book which she had been trying to get Damon to look at, getting more and more frustrated with him simply telling her he had the name 'covered' and would tell her closer to the time what they were going to call their kid. As if that was gonna fly.

Bu she practically jumped out of her skin when she heard Damon and the almost unnatural squeak to his voice.

'Stefan? Brother, what are you doing here?'

Hearing his name, knowing he was here – it sent a chill down her spine. Yet she still managed to get back up off the couch and make her way to the entrance.

'Trying to get in my front door. Care to explain why, _Brother_?'

Elena appeared in the hallways just as Stefan finished talking.

'Because the house belongs to me Stefan. I'd have to invite you in...'

She hadn't wanted to accept the gift of the boarding house but outside pressures had something to do with it. Her aunt Jenna made it quite clear that if Elena was moving in with Damon and having their child in that house, she would feel safer knowing any vampire couldn't just waltz in and have either of them for _dinner_. And it totally had nothing to do with Jenna reminding her that if this whole thing went to the wall then at least Elena would walk away with a pretty nice nest egg in the form of the Boarding House. No, it had nothing to do with that...at all.

Damon hadn't quite vamped out but she could see the way he was gripping the door that he wasn't going to take any chances. Likewise, she knew to keep her distance, a distance she knew Damon would be comfortable with as she finished what she started.

'...and I can't think of one good reason why I should.'

'Elena please, I've come home to fix things, to try to make amends...'

She was standing with the book open in front of her, and she found she had little she wanted to say to the vampire who abandoned her when she needed him most. The one who almost _killed her_. Instead, she simply closed the book and put it on the sideboard, making it clear for Stefan to see why it would be ten times harder for him to make any kind of inroad into making things right.

Stefan stood in shock as he could see the slight yet noticeable rounding of her stomach.

'You're too late Stefan,' she said defiantly as she turned and walked back inside the house, picking up the book she'd moments ago put down, 'almost 5 months too late.'

Damon hung his head, torn between beating the crap out of his brother and following her inside. He was brought out of his turmoil as the growling rose in Stefan's throat.

'Don't you start,' he responded with little concern, 'I have nothing to say to you so you best be on your way grumpy. And don't be chewing on anyone on the way out of town either. I'm _so_ over cleaning up your messes.'

'What did you do to her? Did you compel her?' he yelled, loud enough that Elena most likely could hear every word. Stefan had vamped out completely and was gripping the timber of the door frame, desperate to get into the house.

'Now why does everybody think I'd need to compel Elena for her to be with me? Is it so hard to believe that she could _want_ to be with me? After all, when you regressed back to your Hannibal Lector days all those months ago, I was _there_ for her Stefan. Because I was her friend. I _told you_ that I would be. I'm a man of my word – not one to break a promise like that now am I?'

Stefan was processing all the information, and he wasn't taking it well. Damon could care less. _It is what it is_ he thought.

'Now why don't you do us all a favour and get the hell _off_ Elena's property. This isn't your home anymore.'

Damon could vaguely see the old brooding Stefan somewhere in his blood lust, a little bit of guilt surfacing from within his younger brother. It almost made him feel bad about baiting him. _Almost_.

'How is that even possible? She can't possibly be...'

'Well she _is_ so deal with it. Better yet, we're registered at _Babies R'Us_ – send the kid a gift.'

That reminded him, he really must stop by to thank Sheriff Forbes for the Diaper Genie, whatever the hell that was.

'Damon, please...' honestly, when has begging ever worked, Stefan should know better, 'I just need to talk to her for a _minute_.'

There was a tiny part of him that felt bad about this shock for his brother. Hell if things had been the other way around he would have probably reacted the same. He didn't deny that his brother loved Elena, although the thought made him want to be violently sick. Thank god vampires don't have a gag reflex. But this wasn't even about sibling rivalry now. It was about the girl that he loved sitting in their house, carrying his child and having to face the man that nearly killed her. Even without a baby to think about, he was almost positive Elena wasn't going to go running back into his arms. He hoped.

'Well Stefan, she doesn't want to see you. I'd save your energy. And talking about energy I've already wasted enough of _mine_ on talking to _you_. Ciao brother,' he snarled as he slammed the door in Stefan's face, hoping it hit him on his ass as it banged shut.

As he walked back inside he heard Stefan roar and presumably punched the wall. He found Elena sitting on the couch, reading the book as if nothing had happened. Before he could even start talking she cut him off.

'I _don't_ want to talk about it.'

'Whenever you're ready,' he replied, before fixing himself a bourbon and downing it in one.

* * *

It was a two hours later when he got the call, picking up his cell and moving out of the parlour to answer it. He didn't want to disturb Elena as she had fallen asleep not long after Stefan so rudely turned up on their doorstep.

'Damon, is she ok?'

'What? How do you...'

He had no idea how she knew anything had happened.

'He came here to speak to Ric but he's at some parent teacher conference. I told him where to go, politely of course.'

'I'll bet,' he murmured, wondering which choice expletives Jenna had used to insult his brother this time, 'You didn't let him in did you?'

'What? Invite a recovering human-blood-a-holic into my house? No Damon, I didn't invite him in. Although he's been invited in before, it's not like I could stop him.'

'I don't think he'd just come waltzing in, but then again I didn't think he'd ever come back so be careful Jenna.'

'Do you take me for an idiot? I have vervain and a stake Damon.'

Damon didn't want to tell Jenna that just because she had the tools, didn't mean that she would have any chance against his brother.

'Did she speak to him?' she enquired.

'No,' he managed to grit out, now worrying about the fact Stefan was just turning up on the doorstep of everyone he cared about.

Jenna sighed.

'Ok I'll rephrase that - did you _let_ _her_ speak to him.'

'No. And for your information Jenna, she didn't _want_ to talk to him.'

There was silence for a few moments.

'Do you think maybe she should? That you both should? I mean maybe not face to face or anything,' she paused, clearly hesitant about pissing off the vampire on the other end of the phone, 'but there's the e-mail, Skype maybe...' she trailed off realising how ridiculous she sounded.

All he could do was snort at the suggestion.

'Are you forgetting the fact that right before he skipped town he almost bled her dry?'

He could hear her sharp intake of breath and silently cursed himself. Jenna walking in on Stefan feeding from Elena had haunted her for weeks. Jenna was never supposed to find out about vampires.

'Of course not, but...'

'Good, because she's not going anywhere near him.'

_And neither are you_ he thought to himself, knowing that Jenna just about had it in her to go meddling in this.

'Fine, then _you_ talk to him. Someone owes him an explanation.'

'I don't owe him anything!' he retaliated, incensed at the suggestion.

'I don't care what you do or don't _do_, but _someone_ is going to get him _off_ my _porch_. He's been there for the past hour – I'm losing patience Damon. The neighbours are giving me funny looks.'

'Jenna they always give you funny looks, given the number of empties you put in your recycling and the fact you're living with a _history_ teacher...'

'Go on, crack another funny...I dare ya,' she growled back at him cutting him off mid-flow.

'...And what the fuck Jenna? He's been there an hour and you're only just calling me?'

She sighed, but he could tell she was standing sending daggers down the phone at him.

'Fix it Damon,' she barked, 'before Ric gets home and things get really _interesting_.'

He knew she was serious. And he knew that Ric wasn't about to let the vampire leave alive. Not after Stefan had threatened Jenna after dropping Elena's almost lifeless body to the floor that terrible night. Ric would have staked him if it hadn't been for Damon stepping in, trying to talk down his brother. That would be his one and only mistake when it came to protecting the people he cared about. It wouldn't happen again.

'I'll be there in 10 minutes.'

'I'm counting,' she reminded him before hanging up.

He trailed his fingers through his hair and turned around to find Elena watching him, with her shoes and jacket on.

'Are you driving or will I?'

'Elena, just go back...'

He tried to turn her back towards the couch but she stood her ground.

'I'm coming Damon. This needs sorted once and for all. We can't all move on until we face what happened. Me, you, Jenna, Ric...and _Stefan_,' she all but whispered.

'You don't have to do this,' he replied, echoing his words from all those months ago when she was faced with meeting her mother.

'He's not going to leave without talking to me,' she tried to reason.

Damon still wasn't convinced. All his deep-seated fears coming to the surface at once. His trust issues were hard to handle at the best of times, but could he trust she wouldn't break his heart and run off into the sunset with Stefan. He did try to kill her but Damon had done equally bad things to her, if not worse. He wasn't prepared to lose what he didn't ever think he would find.

'Elena you can't trust him.'

'No, maybe not,' she came closer, taking his hand and pulling him into her, 'but you can trust me. I promise,' almost reading Damon's mind.

He let his hand come to the side of her face and brush the hair from her eyes, meeting them with his own. Elena could see the fear in the pool of blue.

'You win, as usual,' he said hesitantly, with a light smirk, 'but one wrong move and this time he'll be going down...for good.'

Her face was almost void of expression, but held his gaze.

'Okay,' was all she managed to force out, 'let's go.'

He wasn't going to let anything come between them. Or harm their baby in anyway. He'd die protecting them if he had to.

* * *

Ok, so quite heavy this chapter. But I didn't think I could deal with Stefan in any other way. I read too many fics where Stefan just rolls over and walks away. I just don't see that for him. Plus its Stefan on human blood, so who knows what will happen.

I'm still wondering where I could fit Jeremy into this fic so there might be some of him coming soon, but we'll see.

Thanks again for reading, review if you can.

Love, Ave x


	11. Chapter 11

**Title:** He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **Following on from the last chapter, I got a bit carried away and decided that this will be a chapter which is split into another part. So essentially, Stefan's return will be 3 chapters long.

I tried to explain in a very short paragraph some of what happened when Stefan left and give you an idea of what happened at the end of the series for us to wind up with an engaged and very pregnant Elena. I have no idea if it works or not, so maybe you could review and let me know.

Finally, thanks to Rika (Zoraya Windwalker) for all her amazing help with this chapter. You're a star!

Thank you once again for reading, it means the world to me.

Enjoy!

Ave x

* * *

'I'm not happy about this.'

'You sound just like Jenna.'

Damon rolled his eyes at her before looking straight ahead as he pulled into the street where her old house was. He told her to stay put but it would be easier talking to a brick wall – and getting an answer – than expecting her to take notice. Sighing, he unclipped his own seatbelt and was at her door helping her get out within seconds of hearing her own seatbelt unclip from the holder.

'I do wish Elena that one of these days you will listen to me and do as I ask you.'

'Damon it's the 21st century, and I'm not your wife yet. I'll _do_ as I please.'

He couldn't tell what she was thinking from the tone of her voice. It was tired and emotionless.

'Just let me do the talking ok?' he asked as he held her on each shoulder, looking down into her eyes. She responded by raising her eyebrows so that he knew what she was thinking – '_not_ _likely_'. He groaned and continued to walk up towards Elena's old house.

'You'll be the death of me some day,' he muttered in frustration.

'One can only hope' grumbled the familiar voice from a way up the path as Damon could see Stefan come into view shortly after.

'Well there goes the neighbourhood, you never know what kind of trash you'll wake up to find on your doorstep' he loudly announced as he strolled up the patio steps. Before Damon could stop her Elena pushed past him and thumped Stefan hard in the chest.

'Stefan, what in the _hell_ do you think you are doing? You can't just turn up at Jenna's door like this!'

If Damon's heart was functioning properly, he was fairly certain this would be what a coronary felt like. Watching Stefan's face twitch as he struggled to control his temper Damon threw himself between them, pulling Elena behind him. But before Damon knew it he felt himself being dragged backwards and into the house by a strong force.

'Honestly you two, my neighbours talk about me enough without you two re-enacting _Interview with a Vampir_e on my front porch.'

Damon found himself at the bottom of the stairs glaring at Jenna as she bundled Elena inside too, a little less aggressively than she had him thankfully.

'You too _Louis_,' she motioned sarcastically towards his brother, 'Get inside,' she told him, reiterating his previous invitation into the Gilbert home; 'you better _behave_ and _talk_ about this like _adults_. God knows you're old enough,' she trailed off as she turned and walked toward the kitchen

Elena followed her aunt as Damon kept an eagle eye on his brother who followed after. Settling around the kitchen table it was Stefan who broke the silence.

'Elena, I am so sorry...for everything. I never meant for all of this to get so out of hand.' He reached out and took Elena's hand

Damon forced the bile back down his throat, settling on snorting in response to his brother's ridiculous apology. Elena glared at Damon to keep him in check and released her hand from his brother's grip.

'You almost killed me. Then worse, instead of sticking around to deal with the fallout, you just left. I was confused, I was hurt...you left me heartbroken Stefan.'

Damon tried his hardest to not feel the stinging in his chest and to resist the way his hand curled up into a fist destined for his brother's face, but it was the sharp kick from under the table and the glowering face of Jenna Sommers that told him to behave. God damn that woman.

'You might as well just go back to where you came from, there's nothing left for you here anymore. I'm with Damon. I'm happy with him,' she reached out and took Damon's hand this time, 'He's a pain in the _ass_ most of the time, but I love him. You need to accept that,' she urged as she turned back to Stefan.

Damon smiled as he felt his fingers relax around her own, absentmindedly twirling the engagement ring that sat on her finger. It didn't go unnoticed.

'You took mother's ring?' he growled at Damon before looking back at Elena, just now registering what it meant, 'You're marrying _him_?'

Just as Stefan looked like he was about to vamp out, Jenna very deftly placed the vervain dart and the stake on the table, eyeing up Stefan before adding the gas oven lighter to the collection.

'I'd think very carefully before you do anything else Stefan, she's not making idle threats,' he urged his brother from his own experience, 'and yes I gave her mother's ring, what of it? She would have wanted that.'

'_She_ would have _wanted_ her sons to have some respect for other human beings,' Stefan growled again, somehow managing to contain the anger building in him.

'Right back at you _little brother_, or did you conveniently forget that when you tried to suck your girlfriend dry?'

'Oh we're not back to this again are we?' moaned Elena.

Both Stefan and Damon stopped baiting each other for a moment as Elena sat with her head in her hands being comforted by her aunt.

'Seriously, Stefan, if it's what you need to hear then I forgive you ok? I _forgive you_. I'm still alive, I'm happy there's nothing more to be said. But I can't forget what you did, how you left, and that's why I don't want you here.'

Stefan nodded reluctantly.

'I only left because he told me to go. I thought it was for the best.'

Elena looked stung as she looked from one brother to the other.

'Damon, what is he talking about?'

All he could do was sigh and resist the urge to ram his fist down Stefan's throat to stop him talking.

'Elena he tried to kill you. If it wasn't for Ric making a donut out of him with a stake, Stefan would have succeeded. You would have died.'

She still looked hurt and he felt there was nothing left but to be honest with her.

'I told Stefan that he could either stay and let us help detox him but he'd risk losing control and it happening again...or, he could make sure he never hurt you again by taking the first bus out of town,' he sighed but straightened his back and turned to his brother, glaring at him, 'I gave him the choice, but _he_ made the decision. _Not_ me.'

Stefan glared right back at his brother, a look which made Damon more uncomfortable than he thought possible. He could see the pain in his eyes.

That night when Katherine had taken Jeremy, Stefan was terrified Elena would be next. Between killing John and kidnapping the young Gilbert, nobody knew what was going to happen. Knowing he wasn't strong enough to fight Katherine without human blood, Stefan started chugging down blood bags like they were going out of fashion. Katherine didn't come back, but Stefan's inability to control his hunger did, worse than Damon had ever seen. Finding Stefan collapsed next to Elena's almost lifeless body, with Ric standing over him almost killed him. All he knew was he needed to make sure Elena was safe. With Stefan running around like Dracula, that was never going to be the case.

'Elena I'm sorry. I should have told you.'

'Yes, you should have,' she whispered as she got up and walked out of the kitchen. Damon went to go after her but Jenna stood in his way.

'Oh no, you don't. She needs to be on her own just now; honestly I wish there were times when you both had never set foot in this town.'

Damon sat back down at the kitchen table, struggling with his rage at Stefan and guilt (who knew?) for not being honest with Elena.

'You didn't have to leave you know,' he forced out, 'we would have helped you, _I_ would have helped you.'

'Since when have you ever done anything for anyone other than yourself?'

He chose not to answer Stefan's question.

'You have to go Stefan. When I gave you those options, that bus ride wasn't a return ticket.'

Stefan stared at his brother, seeing the fear that was there at how his somewhat normal life was slipping away from him.

'I don't think I could stay anyway, not now. I can't accept that you are with _her_ Damon. I can't just _forget_ what she and I had. I won't pretend and play best man at your _wedding_ then give you a toast to congratulate you on your future together. She won't have one, Damon if she's with you, don't you get that?'

Jenna winced as she poured herself a coffee, knowing exactly what Stefan had meant, that Elena _turning_ would be discussed at some point. She was already preparing her arguments for _that_ particular debate.

'Like she would have had a future with you?' Damon retaliated, 'And nobody asked you to be my _best man_ Stefan. Quite honestly everyone could do without you droning on giving a speech – you've turned into quite the eternal bore after 146 years.'

'Damon stop it,' Jenna reprimanded before looking at his brother, 'Stefan I don't know what's going to happen or not happen in the future, but Elena has another life to think about now. She _is happy_. And both Ric and I will make sure she stays that way. That she is _safe_. One way or the other.'

Jenna let the true meaning of her sentence hang in mid air as she clasped a hand on his shoulder and looked into Stefan's eyes, 'I suggest you go and say goodbye.'

Damon watched as Stefan went upstairs after Elena, almost immediately trying to following after him.

'Sit!' Jenna motioned forcefully, pointing to Damon's chair, 'She'll be fine, and he won't hurt her.'

'And how do you know that?' he asked, reluctantly being forced back into his seat.

'Because I know you can hear everything from down here. You'll know if something is wrong.'

Damon looked as if Jenna was crazy, which was something he often debated with himself every now and then. It would only take a second for Stefan to snap Elena's neck. Jenna could see he looked confused.

'Look, just let them say their goodbye properly this time. You may have won the girl this time, but at one time she loved him. It's called closure Damon.'

'Closure's overrated and dangerous if you ask me,' he bit back.

She smiled and offered him a glass of scotch which he gladly accepted and downed effortlessly.

'Good job I didn't ask you then,' she sarcastically replied taking a seat beside him once again, noticing the tenseness in the vampire's shoulder and the darkness in his eyes.

'Damon you really have got to get over this. She's marrying you and having your child.' She paused to rest her hand on top of his that was drumming his finger nails into the wooden table, 'she's not going to leave you.'

'I have no idea what you're talking about,' he lied, reclaiming his hand.

'Sure you don't,' she whispered, knowing he would hear it as she handed him another Scotch.

* * *

So there is one more part - I promise only one more, for this little part of the story. I have it written and it will be posted asap.

I hope you didn't think this was too boring. I enjoyed writing it. I enjoyed the next chapter even more!

Incase anyone doesn't get the _Louis_ reference, he was in the novel and film of Interview with a Vampire.x


	12. Chapter 12

**Title:** He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **Ok, the final part of _Stefan – The Return_. I have no clue what to say about it except it felt right at the time of writing so I hope you all like it and appreciate it for what it is.

Thanks again to Rika (Zoraya Windwalker) for all her beta services again. There aren't words to say how much of a help you have been!

Thank you again for all the reviews, they help keep me focused and prolong my urges to write good fics.

Enjoy!

Ave x

* * *

'Elena can I come in?'

'It's not like I could stop you, now, is it?'

She looked up to see Stefan come in and take the seat at her dresser as she lay on her old bed.

'Your room looks very different. I'm guessing most of your things are at the Boarding House.'

She nodded in reply.

'I know you don't want to hear it but I _am_ sorry for what I did. And for leaving.'

She nodded again, knowing deep down that she had already forgiven him, as he apologized downstairs. She just didn't want to talk about it anymore.

'So, are you going to stay this time?'

She wasn't sure she wanted his answer to be a positive one; wasn't sure she wanted to know how her life was going to change if he did stay.

'No,' he replied as he shook his head. And the only thing she could feel about it, was relief.

'Where are you going to go?' she asked him, feeling guilty, like she was pushing him away.

'I haven't decided yet, all I know is I can't stay here. I can't sit by and watch it happen in front of me.'

It was honest she supposed, knowing exactly what he meant by '_it_'.

'Regardless of what has happened, it was my choice Elena. He once told me that I wasn't allowed to feel his guilt for anything he'd done. He shouldn't feel the repercussions of mine because of my choice to leave.'

She snorted in anger.

'Does Damon ever feel anything close to guilt when it comes to you, or anyone else for that matter?'

'Maybe not, but I think we both know that when it comes to _you_ Elena, Damon's emotions and feelings are...well they're complicated. I don't believe he would ever hurt you, that's not why I'm upset. I'm upset because you deserve a long and happy life Elena, don't let him take that away from you. This...situation you're in, it does nothing but tie you closer to him.'

She could feel herself getting angry and didn't want to spoil this _goodbye_ so she put an end to the conversation. And she wouldn't feel guilt or regret about her baby.

'It could have happened regardless of who I was with. We've _talked_ about that. He won't force me to do anything I don't want to do, and with a baby on the way...I don't know what I will decide. But that's between me and Damon, nobody else, ok?'

He was taken aback at the fire that was raging within her and realised this was a side to Elena he'd never really seen.

'I understand,' he replied clearly upset, 'but maybe there is one thing I can do for you.'

'What's that?' she asked quizzically, not believing there was anything that he could offer that would make a difference to the way she felt, or no longer felt, for him.

'I can try to find him Elena. I would do that for you.'

Elena wished with everything that he hadn't brought _him_ up. It was a struggle every day to put her brother out of her mind. She had spent all her energy worrying, searching for him. Even if he wasn't with Katherine now, she wasn't certain Jeremy would ever want to be found. Not after the way she hid the truth from him.

'I can't ask you to do that for me Stefan. It's too dangerous.'

He took her hand as he got out of the seat.

'You didn't ask, I offered. Maybe some good can come out of all of this after all.'

He kissed her hand softly before blurring out of the window.

'Well that was...touching,' Damon snarled as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

Elena ran her fingers through her hair in frustration.

'He was saying goodbye Damon; that was it. And nice to see your respect of my private space is still perfectly intact,' she noted as he opened and closed the empty drawers and wardrobes, 'did you have to eavesdrop like that?'

'Not like I can turn it off sweetheart.'

She hated when he called her that, when he used humour to compensate and hide his feelings.

'Ok don't. Don't _do_ that,' she urged getting up from the bed, pointing at him.

'Don't do what?' he asked as he pretended not to know what she was talking about.

'That!' she pointed at him again, this time yelling, 'This 'I don't give a fuck' attitude. It's bullshit.'

He closed the wardrobe door and turned to her feigning shock on his face.

'Language Elena!' Damon scolded.

'Just what is your problem?' she probed, completely stuck as to why Damon would act like such an ass over all of this.

'My problem,' he enunciated his reply to her, 'is my blood junkie brother being alone in your room where he could quite easily rip your throat out and not think twice about killing my kid, how's that for a problem?'

He was frightening at that moment; so close to her face, and so _angry_. She knew that her heart was beating faster and that it drove him insane when she couldn't keep that in check. She had to be brave. Usually when they fought like that the next thing she would feel was being pinned to a bed or any flat surface where they took things out on the other one by having mad, rampant sex. After all, it's how she ended up pregnant in the first place. But this wasn't that kind of argument.

'Oh really, so it's nothing to do with being jealous huh?'

He moved away from her, smirking.

'Jealousy is so unbecoming Elena.'

'Well then what the hell is it? Because I _just_ said goodbye to Stefan, the goodbye that you took away from me all those months ago. You did that! If you hadn't told him he should go he would still be here and...'

He turned back on her so quickly her head felt it was spinning. Feeling him right in front of her as she found herself backed up towards her dresser, hands being placed either side of her as his mouth came closer to her face.

'And what_,_ Elena? He'd still be _here_...and _what_? You wouldn't be in this mess? You'd have been able to live happily ever after with Saint Stefan? Is that it?' he probed, his face void of any emotion.

Not a hint of anger. He reminded her of the predator he used to be. The one she should have feared. But she knew him better than that, she knew that he was able to keep his emotions hidden, anger being one of those he was able to keep control of better than anyone else; hiding it deep down inside, ready for an explosion.

'No that's not what I...' she shook her head as she looked away in shame that he could believe she would do that to him.

'Sure it isn't,' he responded lightly, cutting her off and walking away from her again, 'I'm just the back-up plan for you. Well let me tell you Elena,' he paused, turning and leaning against her bedroom door, 'I have _never_, nor will I _ever_ be second best, and certainly not to _him_. So you need to decide what it is you want. That ring on your finger should be clue enough for you to know what I _want_.'

She gave up trying to figure out what was going on in his maniacal head when she felt _it_.

'Damon, come here,' she asked as she motioned him over to where she now sat on the bed.

'No, you can't just expect me to _come hither_ anytime you click your fingers Elena. I'm not some little lost puppy who is going to follow you around in the hope of some scrap of affection.'

But she could see the anger fade a little as he noticed her caressing her stomach, replaced with a look of concern.

'Damon, please it's...it's the baby.'

She looked up from her stomach to find him on his knees in front of her, a thousand emotions running across his face.

'What's wrong?' he begged, not able to look at her, his eyes staying focused on her stomach.

'Nothing I just...I think I just felt a kick.'

His eyes darted up to meet her own, the excitement rising inside her.

'You felt a what?'

She grinned at Damon, feeling around the left side of her stomach, prodding slightly.

'I felt a...wait, there it is again. It was definitely a kick. Come here.'

She frowned when he recoiled from her slightly as she tried to take his hand.

'If this is just your way of winning this argument...'

She rolled her eyes, having forgotten already why they were arguing in the first place. All she could feel now was the thrill of anticipation.

'Forget the argument Damon and stop acting like a baby yourself, just give me your hand.'

She made a grab for it and forced it hard up against her stomach as his eyes gave away his concentration, looking for the indication of where the baby was lying.

'What am I supposed to be...holy shit,' he flinched as he felt something kick full force against Elena's stomach.

'I know, I didn't expect to feel anything this early, I'm barely eighteen weeks but you felt that right?' she asked beaming from ear to ear as the kick became a flurry of movement inside her.

'Yeah I did,' he whispered, feeling like a fish out of water and not having a clue what he was supposed to be doing, 'I'm sorry.'

'For what?' she asked, as her smile faded when the kicking eventually stopped.

'For being insecure, for not telling you what happened with Stefan...' he admitted, '...and for scaring the shit out of you there. I don't know what came over me. You _do_ know I wouldn't hurt you don't you? I'm just...I'm struggling with how to deal with my feelings after turning them off for such a long time.'

She knew it was hard for him to admit anything so personal to her, that most of the time he turned his feelings off was because he felt _too much_. Now she understood – he was terrified she was going to leave him.

'I know you wouldn't hurt me. Being insecure happens to the best of us, you'll get used to it.'

She drew her hand up to his face and ran her fingers through his hair. He looked tired.

'Gee, thanks. You really know how to put a guy at ease.'

She laughed as she pulled him up beside her on the bed.

'I'm serious Damon, I'm not going anywhere. It's you I want to be with.'

'And why's that?' he asked, as she stared at him confidently, feeling like he was her number one again as she pushed him backwards onto the bed before answering him.

'Well for one, you haven't tried to eat me yet,' she murmured against his lips, barely able to lean down over him without her bump getting in the way.

'After the day I've had with your moods, don't tempt me,' he growled as his hand made his way up her back before flipping her and showing her exactly why he would never be second best.

* * *

_So what did you guys think? Too fluffy at the end? Was the swearing a bit much? I don't know. I'm going to struggle with the next chapter which is 'The Big Day' - being the wedding. I do not want it to be some cotton candy fluff ball of sap. So any help would be much appreciated._

_thanks again folks x_


	13. Chapter 13

**Title:** He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **Well dear readers, here it is, the Wedding – Part 1. Please don't hate me for not giving you the whole thing in one chapter, I honestly don't think you would read a 6000 word chapter! Just kidding, I wanted to do it in stages and this is obviously the first part. I hope you like it.

Thanks once again to Rika (Zoraya Windwalker) for all her beta services again. She is a brilliant beta and an author in her own right too. I highly suggest you search for her profile and check out her stuff. It's mind blowing how well she can _GET_ Damon. Just...fabulous.

To the reviewers, thank you so much once again, this is the most reviews I've ever had for ANYTHING I've ever written. I'm getting so nervous about posting the chapters because I get such good feedback I want to keep up the good standard you lovely people seem to think I have set.

And finally, special thanks to strangedazey, rumarumadai, kaplinkaloon, Vanessa and of course my dear, sweet Shar (did you like my Damon there girl?). I can't reply to your reviews somehow but they are awesome, thank you for taking the time to read and give me your thoughts.

Now on with the show...

Ave x

* * *

'Why the hell am I doing this?'

Alaric attempted to fix Damon's tie but was quickly swatted away as the vampire growled menacingly at his best man.

'It's a bit late for getting cold feet _Salvatore_...'

Alaric stood in front of the mirror to adjust his shirt sleeves and put in his cufflinks. God he hated wearing a tux.

'...And remind me, why should I even care? You didn't bother asking for _my_ advice in the first place _before_ you proposed.'

Damon clasped his own cufflinks closed and lifted his suit jacket off the hanger.

'Seriously? Still hung up on that? What are you, a 15 year old girl? Get over it man. And for your information, I didn't ask your advice because '_don't do it, for the love of god don't do it_' wasn't exactly the advice I was looking for.'

Alaric shrugged himself into his suit jacket.

'Well at least I have some firsthand experience; I was a married man you know...'

Damon appeared behind him in the mirror, clasping his hand on the Teacher's shoulder.

'Ric, your wife had me turn her into a _vampire_. A happy marriage, my friend, that was not.'

'Thanks for reminding me...' Ric forced out, '...what's the problem anyway; I thought you wanted to get married, tradition and all of that?'

Damon poured himself a glass of bourbon and sat down on the couch with a thud.

'It's a funny thing that, when a man hasn't anything on earth to worry about, he goes off and gets married.'

Ric couldn't hold in his snigger.

'Jeremy is _still_ missing, Katherine is _still_ on the loose and your wife-to-be has a _bun_ in the proverbial oven. I wouldn't exactly say you had nothing to worry about Damon.'

Damon fidgeted with his tux jacket until he was sure he looked pristine as always.

'It's my wedding day Ric, I've waited nearly 150 years for this day...don't ruin it for me.'

'Now who sounds like a 15 year old girl?' the best man replied in amusement.

'I'm serious though, she's only 18 and here I am tying her down. Not that I would normally care, I'm selfish and I always get what I want...'

'...which you're totally ok with...' Ric mumbled as he finished Damon's sentence for him, now fidgeting with his tie, '...yet I'm sensing a '_but'_...'

Damon paused before answering, '...it's _Elena_. She deserves better than this.'

Ric sighed loudly and poured himself a drink. Giving advice to a once-upon-a-time homicidal vampire was not his speciality. This would require some liquid courage.

'Damon I'm not going to sit here and tell you that you're not an egotistical maniac – you are...' Damon smirked at Ric's bluntness, '...but for whatever crazy reason, she wants to be with _you_. Don't screw it up,' he warned.

Damon smacked his hand on Ric's knee as he eased himself out of his chair to pour himself another drink.

'Ric, I hate to tell you this, but Jenna already beat you to _that_ little speech, and I have to tell you, she was much more effective. Come to think of it, I should have asked _her_ to be the best man; she'd probably have made a better job of that too.'

He raised his glass towards Ric who looked a tad bemused.

'That's because she scares the shit out of you,' he found was all he could retort with.

Damon raised his eyebrows.

'She tried to kill me with a gas oven lighter – good luck getting out of that relationship alive Ric.'

He smirked in delight as he watched the white fear spread over Ric's face. That would teach him for trying to ruin his big day.

* * *

'Elena, stop fidgeting!'

Jenna smacked Elena lightly on the fingers that were trying to pull at her dress to hide her bump.

'I look _huge_,' she complained loudly, 'I knew this was the wrong dress. I should have gone with the corset after all.'

'Then you wouldn't be able to breathe properly. I'm pretty sure that would have been terminal Elena. Would you just...' she was fighting a losing battle with Elena who was pulling at the material again, '...I'm serious...'

Jenna made a grab for Elena's hands and forced her back down into the chair at the dressing table.

'...stop it! Look I know you're nervous but you will ruin your dress! Or worse, you'll give me Bell's Palsy from all the stress! How's that going to look in your wedding album?'

'It will go perfectly with the humungous _bump_ that is impossible to hide in this _thing_,' she complained pointing at her dress.

Jenna resisted the urge to run her fingers through her hair – those curls took two hours that morning and she wasn't the patient type, she wasn't going to ruin it now. Instead she brought over the full length antique mirror into the middle of the room and helped Elena out of her seat, guiding her in front of it.

'Elena, that isn't just a bump, it's your _baby_,' she emphasised, placing her arms around Elena and resting her hands on her stomach, 'And besides, if I were you I'd be worrying more about your hair than your dress, you know the damage I can do with a set of curling tongs.'

Elena let out a tentative laugh, knowing she was letting her nerves get the better of her.

'I'm sorry, it's just, I'm happy about getting married and the baby coming, I just wish that I could have shared it with everyone that I care about – Bonnie, Caroline, my mom and dad...Jeremy,' she added as a whisper, 'I appreciate everything you and Ric have done for me, I just wish I didn't have to rely on you so much.'

Jenna took her into a hug, careful not to crush the white silk of Elena's dress.

'You don't have to thank me for anything; I wouldn't have missed being part of this for the world.'

Elena pulled away slightly giving her aunt a disbelieving look.

'Are you forgetting you did try to kill my husband-to-be and father of my child?'

Jenna simply shrugged pulling her back into the hug.

'So? At least it'll be an interesting story to tell the grandkids.'

Elena fell into laughter and immediately felt better about the whole situation.

'Besides, Damon's proved me wrong so far, can't ask for much more than that.'

'I guess you're right,' Elena murmured, a small smile spreading its way across her face.

'Right, let's get this ridiculous show on the road,' Jenna said assertively, making some final adjustments to Elena's hair and makeup. Elena straightened her shoulders and lifted her bouquet, before frowning a little at it.

'Jenna, this is full of Lilies.'

Her aunt looked at her in confusion, 'So, I thought you liked Lilies?'

'I do but not in my bridal bouquet! They're a symbol representing _death_.'

'Huh,' was all Jenna could think of as a response before shrugging her shoulders yet again, picking up her own bouquet and opening the bedroom door, 'well I guess it's rather apt then, considering the groom is only a heartbeat short of a fully functioning cardiovascular system.'

Elena shook her head in astonishment.

'You have the worst sense of humour Jenna, you _do_ know that, don't you?' she deadpanned, walking out the room past her aunt.

This time it was Jenna who frowned.

'Hey, I bet Damon would have appreciated the joke.'

'That's because he's the only person we know with possibly an even more morbid sense of humour than you!' Elena shouted back along the hallway over her shoulder.

'Does it really matter if it's full of Lilies or not? That bunch of flowers is big enough to cover both our stomachs in the pictures. Bet you didn't think of that did you? _Bride-zilla_...' she shouted back, muttering the last word under her breath as she noticed Elena stop in her tracks and turn to face her, considering what she had just said.

'You _may_ have a point. But that doesn't mean I'm happy about it,' Elena replied before walking down the stairs of the Salvatore boarding house, then yelling back up at her aunt who was standing at the top of the stairs fussing with her perfect coils of hair, 'honestly, I would have been better asking for Alaric to be my Maid of Honour, at least he knows how to use curling tongs!'

* * *

So...what did you think? Nervous again about this (as always!) so let me know how you think I did.

Next chapter is the ceremony...what do you think is gonna happen?

x


	14. Chapter 14

**Title:** He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **I'm so sorry to keep you waiting for this, I've had a bad weekend. And more apologies, this chapter is actually just another part of the wedding, I got carried away and the ceremony will be in the next chapter. Good news is that I've written the vows which is half the battle. Anyone trying to imagine Damon saying wedding vows will know how hard that task is of writing them!

Thank you again for all the people reading and reviewing this. I usually try to reply to each review but it's been a horrible couple of days so I hope I haven't offended anyone by not personally replying. I'll try to do so with this chapter.

For those wondering about Lineage, I'm halfway done with that. I had intended to write this weekend and post the new chapter, but like I said, it's been a bit mental so I'm going to aim for this weekend for that one. I'm sorry if I've disappointed a lot of people with the lack of updates.

But on to the chapter. Enjoy!

Ave x

* * *

'Still nervous?'

'Will you stop asking me that? I'm a vampire, I don't _do_ nerves.'

Alaric smirked at the Groom standing beside him at the entrance to the pergola in the Salvatore gardens. He thought that for a vampire, Damon was doing a pretty good impression of having sweaty palms.

'Sure you don't.'

'She's fifteen minutes late. How can she be late?' Damon grumbled, 'It's not like she's got to get to a church, the damn wedding's happening in our own back yard,'

'It's a woman's prerogative to be late...or something like that,' Ric shrugged, a pathetic offering really, trying to remember Isobel's excuse for being an hour late to their wedding. Not the time to think about her Ric.

'Typical,' agreed Damon, 'I need a drink.'

'Oh there's a surprise, but you better not, can't have you slurring your vows now can we?'

'Didn't know you cared that much Ric.'

'I don't,' the Best Man responded coolly, 'but if you do, Elena will kill me for letting you get drunk, and I'll be twice as dead when Jenna gets a hold of me for upsetting Elena on her wedding day.'

Damon smiled at the thought of his Best Man finally getting his comeuppance.

'Again, why do you care Ric? You got that gaudy _little_ ring on your finger to make sure you keep on truckin.'

'You're funny,' Ric deadpanned, uneasily fingering the ring on his right hand as they both looked over their shoulders towards the house, waiting expectantly on the bride to make her entrance.

* * *

As Elena reached the bottom of the stairs, she found herself staring into a face that she didn't think she would see again.

'Bonnie,' she managed to force out, turning to Jenna who was looking rather sheepish, before looking back at the friend she hadn't seen in months, 'why are you here?'

'Damon asked me to come.'

Well she didn't expect that and clearly the look of doubt on Elena's face was telling enough for Bonnie to guess that she was going to need a better explanation than that for doing her best Vince Vaughn impression by gate-crashing the wedding without an invite.

'I'm being serious – Damon came and spoke to me a few days ago. He told me your..._plans_, and invited me to come.'

Elena shook her head in confusion.

'But you hate each other, why would he do that?'

Bonnie sighed and took a seat in the long entrance hallway in the Boarding House.

'It's no secret that there is no love lost between me and Damon, but he asked that we put our differences aside for one day at least and that I be there for my oldest friend. I can't say that I'm thrilled at the situation, but I thought about it and I know that I would regret it if I wasn't here for your wedding day.'

Elena rolled her eyes and looked at Jenna who was doing her best to pretend she had no idea that this was going to happen.

'I don't need a friend for one special day Bonnie, I needed you six months ago, I needed you through _all_ of this.'

'I know Elena, but you have to understand...'

'No Bonnie,' Elena cut in, 'you have to understand – this _is_ happening. I'm not doing all of it on a whim. You should know me better than that.'

Elena felt guilty as soon as she saw the look of regret on Bonnie's face at hearing a few home truths.

'Look, Bonnie, maybe you should stay, perhaps you'll change your mind about supporting me as a friend,' she really hoped that Bonnie would come through for her, but wasn't going to let it ruin her day if she didn't, 'and if you can't get on board and be there for me from here on in, then I'm not sure we can get past this.'

Bonnie got up from her seat, unsure what to do but quickly came to Jenna's assistance as she straightened out the back of Elena's dress.

'I'll stay.'

Elena didn't look convinced.

'I promise to keep an open mind – I won't go reaching for my sick bag when he says his vows ok?'

Elena figured it was the best she was going to get as she nodded in agreement, watching as Bonnie left to go into the garden, but not before turning back to look at Elena.

'You look radiant Elena.'

Elena smiled politely but as soon as Bonnie was out of sight, she turned to Jenna who braced herself for the accusations of her involvement in her witchy former best friend showing up. She was taken aback that Elena had nothing else to say about _that_.

'Did you hear that? She said I looked _radiant_,' Elena complained.

'What? What's wrong with that? It's not like she said you looked like you were just dragged through a hedge backwards or anything.'

'No, but she said I was _radiant_. Only pregnant women look _radiant_.'

Jenna was beginning to get a bit sick of Elena's whining.

'Elena, you are pregnant, get over it.'

The Bride stood still for a moment, shocked at how blunt her aunt had been with her.

'Don't remind me.'

Jenna finally stopped fussing with Elena's hair and flowers, looking her dead in the eyes.

'Elena this is your _wedding day_,' she tried to emphasise, gripping her niece by the shoulders, 'anyone would think you were on your way to your own funeral.'

Elena stared at her aunt, almost in disbelief at the double meaning of what had just come tumbling from Jenna's mouth. Jenna registered this almost at the same time, desperately wishing she could Hoover the words back in as quickly as she'd said them.

'Forget I said anything,' she mumbled, 'it's your party you can cry if you want to.'

With Elena rolling her eyes and Jenna fussing over the train of her niece's dress again to distract herself, they made their way out towards the garden, both hoping the heaven's weren't about to open and add to a long list of things that could and likely would go wrong.

* * *

_So I PROMISE the next chapter has the actual ceremony. I don't know if you'll need handkerchiefs or not, personally Damon could recite the contents of the Financial Times to me and I'd probably melt into a puddle of goo but this is different I guess._

_As for this chapter, yep Bonnie showed up. I have mixed feelings about her character, but I have a Damon/Bonnie scene planned for the next chapter which I hope will make her seem more...I dunno, likeable I guess. Let's see what you guys think.  
_

_Oh, and anyone wanting to know what a Pergola is just google it. It's like a long, fancy Gazebo._

_Thanks again for reading x_


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **Ok, no matter how hard I tried, this chapter turned into a pile of sap, with some minor excitement in the middle. It's a long chapter so I apologise. I was going to split it again into another chapter but it would have meant you waiting again for the wedding ceremony and I wasn't going to risk you lot flying over here to beat me with sticks for doing that to you!

So folks, I tried, I really did. If you hate the chapter then please, please, please keep reading, or better yet, review and tell me what you don't like and how I can improve. You have no idea how hard this was.

I just hope that you do enjoy the chapter. Thank you everyone for continuing to read and review. You are all so wonderful. And thanks to my wonderful Rika, she's an amazing beta. Read her fics! (penname Zoraya Windwalker).

Thank you all.

Ave x

* * *

Elena took one deep breath as she prepared to stand in front of the pergola and walk down the short aisle to where her groom stood. She couldn't see him just yet but she could imagine him in his tux, waiting to take her hand. It gave her goose bumps.

'Are you ready?' Jenna asked tentatively, not wanting to incur the wrath of her niece again.

Elena just looked back at her aunt and smiled widely, letting the weight on her shoulders finally slip away as she realised what was about to happen.

'More than you could know.'

With one final kiss on the cheek for good luck Jenna nodded to the string quartet that Elena had insisted on. It might not have ended up the big production that she, Bonnie and Caroline had planned when they were 13 years old, but she was at least going to have a little music to accompany her down the aisle. And as the gentle hum of _Mr Brightside_ started on the strings of the violin, resounding all the way through the gardens, Elena took her first step towards the aisle setting her eyes to where Damon stood with the most perfect smile. She couldn't do anything else but return it with a loving smile of her own.

She couldn't focus on anything but getting to the end of that walkway. And as she got there all she heard was the faint mutter of '_about time, too_,' falling from Damon's mouth. But her smile didn't falter, and neither did the grin on his face.

The Officiate smiled at them both before commencing the ceremony.

'Friends, we have been invited here today to share with Damon and Elena a very important moment in their lives. In the time they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husband and wife. Now, who gives this woman to be wedded to this man?'

Jenna stood forward and nodded, 'I do.'

Ric breathed a sigh of relief that she chose to leave out the word 'reluctantly' as she had threatened for days before the ceremony.

'Thank you,' the official replied as Jenna took a step back again, 'the gift of marriage brings husband and wife together, in the delight and tenderness of sexual union...'

Ric stifled a laugh as Damon raised his eyebrows suggestively towards Elena who employed what would not be her first eye roll of the day, yet her smile, again, never faltered.

'...and _joyful_ commitment to the end of their lives. It is given as the foundation of family life in which children are born and nurtured, and in which each member of the family, in good times and in bad, may find strength, companionship and comfort, and grow to maturity in love. The vows you are about to take are to be made in the presence of these witnesses, therefore if either of you knows a reason why you may not lawfully marry, you must declare it now.'

Both Bride and Groom shook their heads.

'I must also ask that if there is anyone present who knows a reason why these persons may not lawfully marry, to declare it now.'

Jenna turned to look at Ric and Bonnie, her glare telling them to keep their mouths closed about the rather _undead_ status of the Groom. She was confident Elena would be pleased at her for doing so. Jenna's glare fixed again on Bonnie who notably was sitting on her hands right about now. But none of them expected to hear what was coming next.

'I object.'

* * *

Five heads turned anxiously behind them to see the figure advancing towards them. Damon breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn't the one person he was dreading would show up and shove a spanner in the works.

'Jeremy!' Jenna gushed, rushing towards her nephew. The look of fear in the eyes of the remaining three people in the bridal party and the one lowly guest didn't seem to register for Jenna who completely forgot her nephew was quite possibly now BFFs with Elena's evil twin.

Ric was quick to intervene between Jeremy and Jenna as Damon asked the Official for a few moments to which she responded with a confused nod of the head before leaving them all to talk.

'Well wouldn't you know, Jeremy Gilbert. Isn't this the day that just keeps giving?' Damon deadpanned, breaking the silence.

'You really didn't think I would bail on my sister's wedding now would you?'

Elena who had been mute and comforted by Bonnie, looked up at her brother dreading the answer to her question, 'Are you...'

Damon didn't even let her finish. 'No he's not; I can hear his heart hammering in his chest out of fear that I'm gonna rip his throat out.'

'Damon!' admonished both Jenna and Elena.

'What? Emo-boy here tries to _turn_ himself then goes running off with _she-who-shall-not-be-named_ and he's expecting the red carpet treatment on his return? I don't think so, this is _my_ wedding day, the attention is on _me;_ not the little boy.'

'Well _someone _here has a complex...' muttered the youngest Gilbert.

'Don't test me,' growled Damon, 'where the hell have you been and how do we know you're not working for Katherine?'

Jeremy sighed and motioned for them all to sit down, seeing that Elena was already one step ahead of them, her shoes already killing her feet.

'I'm not working for Katherine. She had me under compulsion for a while, made me do all kinds of _freaky_ stuff I would rather not talk about,' he trailed off, visibly grimacing at the thought before continuing with his version of events, 'but she had a run in with, I can't believe I'm about to say this...but she had a run in with a werewolf, or more accurately, a pack of them. Death breaks compulsion doesn't it?'

All five stood there in shock, not able to quite believe that Katherine was really _dead_.

'When did this happen?' asked Ric, the only one quite able to speak.

'A few days ago. I think it was Stefan who tipped the pack off. After he was done moping about..._whatever,_ he told me about the wedding and the _kid_ so I came back. It's not much of an explanation I know, but it's all I got.'

Jenna hugged her nephew; silently thanking whatever God it was that had brought him back safe. Bloody vampires. They would be the death of her. One way or the other.

Elena looked at Damon who long ago had let the happiness fade from his face.

'She's dead, you saw her die?'

Jeremy nodded.

'Yup, went up in flames like the Hindenburg.'

'And here's me thinking you didn't pay attention in history class,' mumbled Ric.

Elena grew more worried as Damon got up and walked away from the group. She picked herself up out of her seat and followed him.

'Are you ok?'

'Yeah, it's just a lot to take in. Your bloody brother stealing the thunder on our day hasn't helped.'

She smiled lightly and took his hand.

'If you need time to think things over we can postpone...'

'No,' he was quick to not let her finish that sentence, 'I'm making you mine today if it _kills_ me.'

He leaned in to kiss her and growled in disappointment when she pulled away.

'I don't think so mister, not until we're married.'

It was Damon's turn to roll his eyes this time, 'Elena, it's a bit late to pretend I haven't rid you of your chastity and virtue,' he replied, pointing to the bump hidden under her bridal gown. But she wouldn't budge.

'Fine, let's do this,' he all but moaned.

'Yes, let's.'

* * *

Damon walked back to the end of the aisle followed quickly by Ric as Bonnie and Jeremy sat down beside each other. Maybe it wasn't perfect; maybe not everyone she would have wished for was here, but having her brother back, _alive_ was the best wedding present she could have wished for.

She would need to remember to add Stefan to her 'thank you' card list.

'Now, have we resolved all our differences?' the official enquired, staring at Jeremy who simply nodded, 'good, I very much dislike being interrupted. Where was I? Oh yes, the vows. Now I believe both Damon and Elena have prepared their own words before taking their official vows. Elena, would you like to begin?'

Elena nodded, not wanting to piss the official off anymore. Taking a deep breath, she recalled the words she'd written only the night before. For a writer, she found it incredibly hard to put into words everything she'd wanted to say. But she figured with Damon, her life wasn't a fairytale of Jack and Rose proportions; it was _real_. And her vows should be too.

'Damon, I promise today to give you love, respect, fun and enjoyment in our journey through life together. You are possibly the most complicated, annoying and bothersome person I have _ever_ come to know, yet you're also caring, passionate and loving. But I love that, the Jekyll and Hyde nature of your personality. I love your crooked, smug smile and the way you laugh. I love how you make me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world, sometimes without even saying a word. I know I don't always believe you, but you persist in telling me until I give in. That's another thing, I love your determination and your passion. I even love your frequent moments of absent mindedness when you leave the top off the toothpaste. I promise to take turns with the remote control and that even though the house may be in a state of chaos, your favourite John Varvatos shirt will always be easy to find. I promise when I am old and cranky, we will still hold hands, go on dates, and share our dessert. I can be difficult, I'm sure after the past week most people here would agree, but that only makes me more thankful that you put up with me. I thank you for your love. Thank you for your respect. Thank you for still loving me when I buy yet another pair of shoes that cost a fortune and I will probably only ever wear once. From this day onward, I am your wife, and you are my husband. And though the course of true love never did run smooth, with you at my side...' she finally paused to take a breath, bringing her hand to her stomach, caressing it gently, '...those _bumps_ in the road will be so much easier to bear. Through the tears and the laughter we will remain strong and our love will be _real_. I pledge to stay by your side for all time and I am honoured to become your wife.'

He desperately wanted to lean in and give her a hug or a kiss, _anything_ to tell her that she didn't need to cry. Even if they were tears of joy. But the look he was getting from the woman conducting the ceremony gave him the creeps. So he settled for saying his own vows, silently making another vow to kick Ric in the crotch if he so much as even sniggered at his heartfelt words.

'Elena, _Tesoro mio_, I think it would be safe to say that when we first met, neither one of us would ever have predicted we would end up here today. In fact, I'm sure that if anyone ever suggested it, you would have likely said that they would need to tie you down, and drag you here to marry me, something I'm sure I would have gained immense enjoyment out of nonetheless. Always spoiling my fun _Elena_...' he jokingly chastised, '...yet, here we are. And I'm not a fool, I know that it hasn't been an easy road, for either of us. Yet you have trusted, understood, and brought out the best in me. You've even perfected your own little eye roll just for me, I'm so honoured! But that's just the way you love me. It's the way I _need_ to be loved. And I want to thank you for that.'

That was the hard part, now he was ready for his close up and prepared to deliver his Oscar worthy performance. He hoped the Academy was watching and the ladies in the building had their tissues ready, because _this_ was going to be a tearjerker. And the best thing? None of them would have a clue what he was saying to mock him about it.

'Sei la ragione per cui vivo, per cui ogni giorno sorrido. Voglio passare il resto della mia vita con te. Il tuo amore per me è immenso, spero di meritarlo sempre. Sei la mia migliore amica. Sei la mia anima gemella. Se la mia vita. Il mio cuore è per voi. Ti amo.'

Elena had tears running down her cheeks, not caring about make up or _anything_ else; Jenna wasn't far behind her, Ric looked mightily impressed despite feeling much less of a man due to his lack of Italian stallion genes, Jeremy simply nodded his approval and Bonnie rolled her eyes. Oh well, who cared what the witch thought anyway. It didn't even matter that no one understood the words coming out of his mouth – everyone with eyes could see the love in his blue ones, and anyone who cared to listen could unmistakably make out the tender tone he used. A tone reserved for Elena, and _only_ for her

'Well that was very moving Damon,' the official nodded at him, wiping away a small tear from the corner of her eye, 'now if you will be so kind as to say your formal vows to reinforce your commitment to one and other. Please join hands.'

Damon groaned in relief at finally being able to touch her, with Elena gripping his hands tightly. He wasn't going anywhere now.

'Elena, will you have Damon to be your lawful wedded husband? Will you love him, comfort him, keep him in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to him so long as you both shall live?'

'I do,' was her sincere reply. She couldn't believe she'd ever thought this was anything other than Damon _doing the right thing_. It was the right thing, but only for being for the right reason – because they loved each other.

'And Damon, will you have Elena to be your lawful wedded wife? Will you love her, comfort her, keep her in sickness and in health, and forsaking all others, be faithful to her so long as you both shall live?'

Elena jumped in quickly before he could answer, desperate for the ceremony to be completed.

'He does!'

Damon shook his head as the other guests were audibly amused at her insistence that Damon was not about to become the _runaway bride_. There was nothing normal about this day at all, and he hadn't expected anything different.

'She's right, I do.'

'Do you have the rings?'

Damon turned expectantly to his best man, Elena releasing a sigh of relief when Ric managed to pull them effortlessly from his inside pocket. She shouldn't have been surprised really; Jenna had made him do several dummy runs and had threatened to sew the rings into his pocket if he messed up.

Elena took the ring and placed it on Damon's finger, repeating the words she had memorised.

'This ring I give in token and pledge as a sign of my love and devotion, with this ring I thee wed.'

Damon mirrored Elena's actions and placed the antique wedding ring on Elena's finger. It wasn't his mothers, but he'd gone to great efforts to find a ring that complimented the beauty of Elena's engagement ring.

'This ring I give in token and pledge as a sign of my love and devotion, with this ring I thee wed.'

'By the power vested in me by the State of Virginia, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride.'

'Finally!' Damon exclaimed as he leaned in to finally claim his wife, ignoring the shouts of '_keep it PG!_' from Jenna and '_dude that's my __**sister**_**'** from Jeremy.

* * *

As the happy couple walked back down the aisle Elena felt this overwhelming feeling of contentment, Damon's arm lacing around her back and resting on the side of her baby bump.

'Well I guess we can check that off our 'To-Do' list huh?' he whispered in her ear.

'I guess so. All that worry over nothing – it was perfect,' she agreed, leaning up to kiss his cheek tenderly, 'I have no idea what to do with myself now though. I'm almost sad I can't boss Jenna around anymore.'

He smirked as they made it all the way back inside the Boarding House, the rest of the wedding party lagging behind, thanking the official and the string quartet for their services.

'Well I don't know about you Elena, but I did not get myself all dolled up to find myself without a party to go to...' he paused to gain her full attention, staring at the group still milling around outside, '...let's show this lot that we're anything but an old married couple. I reckon if we taunt and get him drunk enough Ric will throw down some downright hilarious moves on the dance floor, what you think?'

Her giggle was almost to the point of being downright giddy as she imagined Alaric dancing uncontrollably. It would be cruel though, wouldn't it? She reckoned Damon should have a taste of his own medicine for once.

'I'll help, but only if I can see some moves of your own Mr Salvatore,' she countered.

He considered her proposition, linking her arm through his, leading her back to the wedding party who were now congregated on the porch.

'Oh I _got_ _moves...Mrs_ Salvatore,' he drawled, loving being able to finally call her that, 'but I think you already knew that...after all, it's kinda why you married me in the first place.'

And there it was, her first eye roll as a married woman.

'Yeah that was _totally_ the reason.'

* * *

So, I must confess to having some artistic licence and, well, honestly, pinching some lines for the vows from elsewhere. I have been to a few weddings and I just drew inspiration (and plagiarised lol) from there. I'm so terribly sorry - but there was a fair bit that was my own!

The translation (i think) is as follows for Damon's vows:-

_You are my reason for living, for why I smile every day. __I want to spend the rest of my life with you. __Your love for me is immense, i hope that I will always deserve it. You are my best friend. __You are my soul mate. __You are my life. __My heart is for you. I love you._

If this is an incorrect translation then my apologies, but that's the gist of what he said. And like I mentioned, who cares what he actually says? He could be reading the shipping forecast in Italian and we'd all keel over with heart palpitations. I know I would.

And for the tune that the string quartet play, yes it is Mr Brightside by The Killers, but obviously played on strings. If you're curious, go to YouTube and search for 'String Quartet Mr Brightside' – any of the top 3 results will let you hear what was going on in my head as the Bride walked down that aisle. Its sappy I know, but I think I'm living my life through Elena!

Finally, again, I apologise for the sap/fluff. And the rather quick handling of Katherine. I KNOW she's much more important than this storyline gives her credit for, but I want a happy-ish life for Damon & Elena where Katherine doesn't threaten them at every corner. That's not to say their life will be easy, oh no no no, but I just wanted to get rid of her. And to bring Jeremy back somehow. Sorry if he was a bit OOC, I'll try harder next chapter.

x


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **I'm so sorry for the wait you guys! Now this took me forever because quite honestly, I lost my inspiration for a bit. But it's back and I'm already writing the NEXT chapter.

So this is the final instalment of the wedding – I hope you enjoy. It's a bit shorter than the rest but I had fun writing it once I eventually got going, especially the end. I hope you have just as much fun reading it.

Either way, love it or hate it, let me know if you can. Thank you for all your reviews so far, I can't believe the number of you that take the time to do that. It honestly is appreciated so much.

And finally thanks to my amazingly wonderful Rika, can't tell you just how wonderful she really is. Couldn't do this without you. Go read her fics! (penname Zoraya Windwalker).

Thank you all.

Ave x

* * *

By the time the happy couple and wedding guests had eaten, it was early evening, but it was still warm. The fairy lights and candles were lighting the garden perfectly. Elena was pleased she'd managed to convince Damon to at least let her decorate the gardens by explaining that she would ensure it didn't end up looking like some kind of Santa's grotto. The string quartet was long gone but Jenna had at least managed to come up with some music to accompany the chatter. And of course, the dancing after that was inevitable.

'You always were a good dancer,' Elena declared following Damon's swift footwork.

'All part of the charm,' he replied using that flirty eye thing he had never really grown out of, trying to make the steps of a waltz work to the strains of Frank Sinatra's '_The Way You Look Tonight_.'

They were oblivious to the four sets of eyes watching them intently.

'You know, I think the first time we danced together I maybe fell a little bit in love with you,' Elena blushed.

He smiled recalling the Miss Mystic Falls pageant, gallantly stepping in for his shit-for-brains brother.

'So that's why you were looking at me funny?'

Elena playfully slapped his shoulder, careful not to break his grip on her.

'I thought you were just trying to remember your steps. God knows _I_ was, it had been 150 years since I had last danced that dance,' he noticed her eyeing him with disbelief, 'what? It was. I couldn't show you up in front of all those people now could I?'

He smiled contently as she rested her head on his shoulders, their somewhat energetic waltz slowing to a simple turning step.

'I love you,' she murmured into his chest.

'I know you do,' he replied smugly, almost feeling her eye roll, 'and I love you too, wife.'

She broke apart from him, shaking her head but gave him a swift kiss before leaving the dance floor in search of the best man to ask him for a dance. Damon noticed Jenna had dragged Jeremy up to the make shift dance floor that was their patio. He smirked at the sight of the kid trying to lead but Jenna somehow managing to drag her nephew around the floor.

His smirk turned to a frown as he noticed Bonnie sitting by herself nursing a glass of red wine, looking on and very much not enjoying herself.

'Bonnie...'

'Damon,' she bit out swiftly in response, 'I would offer my congratulations but I'm not entirely sure I would mean it.'

He smiled wryly and took a seat beside her.

'I don't need your good wishes Bennett, but she might,' he indicated to his wife now dancing with Alaric, being half flung around by the best man, something he'd be having words with him about later. He was going to _enjoy_ this over-protective, psycho husband/father gig.

'I haven't had a chance to speak to her alone,' Bonnie replied.

'Ok so long as you don't upset her by bad mouthing me. I won't stand for that.'

The witch turned to look at the vampire, the fire clear in her eyes at the loose threat from Damon.

'Oh come now Bonnie, this is a _happy_ occasion. I know you probably wouldn't know anything about being happy but why not try it on for size huh? You might find you like it.'

He was standing offering his hand to her, a silent invitation for her to dance with him. She looked thoroughly disgusted.

'I'd rather gouge my eyes out than dance with you,' she spat.

'Well fortunately for you, that could be arranged,' he growled, but not taking no for an answer. Before she knew it Bonnie was on the dance floor being flung around rather aggressively to the sounds of Sammy Davis Junior's _The Lady is a Tramp_. How apt, Damon thought.

Taking her into a hold their dance resembled more of a tango than a leisurely waltz, Bonnie reluctantly letting the vampire lead after noticing Elena smiling at her effort.

'I'm only doing this because of Elena,' she whispered, plastering the smile onto her face hoping it wouldn't slip.

'I know,' he replied moving effortlessly around the patio.

'I didn't just mean the dancing Damon,' she looked at him with some degree of sympathy, 'I agreed to protect her and the baby because she's still my best friend.'

'I _know'_ he repeated, lowering his voice, 'I wouldn't have asked for your help to look after my family or come here today if I didn't think that you would. And I know you didn't go along with it because of me.'

Bonnie nodded, satisfied that Damon knew the extent of their deal.

'I made Elena a promise that I had changed. And I made the _same_ promise to you. After all, I want to be around to see my kid grow up. Can't do that if you turn me into a pile of ash.'

This seemed to thaw Bonnie's icy exterior somewhat, amused at his.

'Well,' she sighed, 'just see to it that I'm not put in that position Damon and you might find that I can tolerate you a bit better.'

The song ended and she pulled away from him, walking back to her seat and taking a long sip of her wine. Damon nodded at this somewhat reluctant truce.

'Don't be a stranger Bonnie. She's missed you. There's only so much I can do to entertain her,' he winked eliciting an eye roll from the witch, 'you should stick around though, Ric's going to be doing Karaoke in about...' he looks over to assess the drunkenness of his best man, '...oh I'd say about, fifteen minutes.'

He almost keeled over in astonishment as Bonnie sent a smile his way before turning back to see Alaric release Elena from his hold in some kind of tribute to Patrick Swayze, urging her to attempt 'the lift' from Dirty Dancing. Elena looked to Damon desperately for some kind of help but was met with a shake of the head and a smirk.

'Damon please _do_ something,' Jenna begged coming to stand at his side as she watched her other half lose himself completely to _I've had the time of my life_, secretly wishing she had brought her own ipod instead of Ric's.

'Sorry Jenna, he hasn't violated the bro-code just yet, nothing I can do,' Damon shrugged, verging on all out laughter at Ric's dance moves, if that's what you could call it.

'The what?'

'You know, the bro-code...' he stared at the blank expression on Elena's aunt's face and elaborated, '...you've seriously never heard of the code?'

She shook her head and bit back sarcastically, 'no I haven't seen that episode of _How I Met Your Mother _yet.'

'Well if you _had_ you would know that he hasn't broken any Article of said Code, for example Article 15 – A bro never dances with his hands above his head,' he pointed in the direction of Ric who had since roped Bonnie back onto the dance floor and was doing some kind of flamboyant _come hither_ swish of his hips towards her, 'see? No hands in the air. He also hasn't worn socks with sandals...'

'...or looked another bro in the eyes during a devils three-way' offered Jeremy as he came to stand beside them, momentarily shocking both vampire and aunt into silence.

'..._therefore_ I cannot intervene,' finished Damon after being so rudely interrupted, before turning to Jeremy with a grimace, '...and exactly _what_ in hell did you get up to when you were with Katherine?'

Jeremy downed the rest of his beer and looked back at Ric, with Elena and Bonnie on either side of him struggling to stay upright

'Dude I do _not_ wanna talk about it.'

* * *

_Hope this wasn't too slushy. I have one line in there which I absolutely adore (and I'm actually quite pleased with myself for it - not often I say that). It's near the end and it's not dialogue. Let's see if you can get it._

x


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **Well you guys amaze me yet again with you amazing reviews. God bless you all.

Now this is my little break from the seriousness – after doing 3 chapters of continuous story I needed to just get back to what this story is about, and that is 'the one-shot' and guys, this is one. It's random, it's bromance (Damon & Alaric style) and it's meant to be funny. I PROMISE the next chapter is some Delena (I'm gonna need a prompt from you to know what you want them to be doing – shopping for the kid? Anyone for that?).

Thank you to Rika, my wonderful beta who seemed to think this chapter was amusing – is she crazy? I think so but I still love her to bits. You are all kinds of awesome girl.

Now on with the show.

Ave x

* * *

'Damon, it's 11pm. Leave me the hell alone.'

Ric hung up his cell and pulled his sleeping girlfriend closer into him before grunting at the sound of the phone ringing. _Again_. Before he could even tell Damon to '_Fuck Off'_ he was on the receiving end of a very pissed off vampire barking orders at him.

'It's a Friday night. Who the hell goes to bed before midnight on a Friday? Have you learned nothing in all the time we've spent together? If you know what's good for you you'll meet me at the Grill in half an hour. I'm buying.'

Ric didn't have a chance to reel off a list of expletives when he heard the dial tone as Damon hung up. Sighing he let go off Jenna and rolled out of bed.

'Where are you going?' she mumbled, grabbing his pillow and pulling it under her arm.

'The Grill,' he grounded out pulling on a pair of jeans.

'But why? I'm _here_ baby...' she murmured seductively in an attempt to draw Ric back into bed. Instead all he did was groan loudly, throwing his head back and silently cursing that goddamn vampire.

'I know, and believe me I would rather be here keeping _you_ entertained than a pissed off vampire,' leaning over and giving her a kiss on the forehead, 'but if I don't go he'll make my life even more of a misery and quite possibly turn up here ruining our fun anyway.'

Jenna nodded and seemed to agree somewhat reluctantly.

'Fine, go then...but you _owe_ me.'

Ric grinned, pulling on his jacket then taking one last look at his girlfriend, already having moved herself into the middle of the bed, spread out like she was trying to do a horizontal star jump.

'_That_ is not a problem,' he replied, winking on his way out of the bedroom.

* * *

'You're late,' growled the vampire.

'And you're an impatient ass,' batted back the vampire _hunter_, 'now I seem to remember something about you buying the drinks?'

Damon bowed his head and slid the empty tumbler along the counter top, taking the full bottle of Bourbon he'd purchased and pouring the liquid into the glass.

'So you got me here, dragged me out of my bed, away from my frisky girlfriend...' he looked at Damon sitting nursing his own glass of liquor, '...this had better be good.'

Damon turned to look at the Teacher, letting his silent look of pensiveness show openly on his face.

'I had an argument with Elena.'

'And you called me to talk and share your feelings? Damon, I'm touched.'

Ric downed his drink, pouring another in quick succession, ignoring the seething vampire sitting next to him.

'Well you're the only person I could think of with that unwavering ability of constantly disappointing women folk, so I knew I'd be in good company.'

'I'm gonna try to ignore that. Jenna is quite happy thank you very much.'

'Uh-huh...Jenna, that _frisky_ girlfriend whom you left to entertain herself I suppose? No she wouldn't be disappointed at all now, would she?'

Ric smirked, determined not to take the bait.

'Not when she knows I'll make it up to her later. So you were saying, you had an argument with Elena. Married life agreeing with you then?'

Damon sighed heavily and nodded his head.

'If I tell you about it, you do not breathe _a word_ of it to Jenna or anyone else you understand me?'

'Fine, it's not like I have any other friends anyway,' mumbled Ric into his glass.

That earned a grin from the vampire.

'What did you do anyway? Accidentally call her Katherine when you were doing the nasty?' asked Ric, referencing Damon's very dead ex-vampire-girlfriend.

'Very amusing Alaric,' grinned Damon, throwing the drink down his throat and rolling his eyes, 'although I'm pretty sure Elena wouldn't be as pissed at me if I did do that, at least then she'd be _getting_ some...'

Ric sat on the bar stool wondering what the hell he was supposed to say to that. The fact that Damon had just admitted that he wasn't sleeping with Elena would surely make Jenna a lot happier, but this was really strange territory for him. Sure he knew that guys were supposed to be able to talk about this stuff to one and other, but Damon wasn't exactly any other guy. He was a vampire for Christ's sake, and an overtly sexual one at that. He couldn't understand what his problem was.

'Well we know that _little_ Damon works so what's the problem?' he shrugged, considering how very _pregnant_ his girlfriend's niece was at this point in time.

'There's nothing even remotely _little _about me Ric,' the Vampire spat, 'and _it_ most definitely _works_...' he paused considering his next words carefully, '...but she's throwing herself at me at any goddamn opportunity!'

Damon sat there, staring at Ric. When the Teacher didn't say anything Damon shrugged and raised his eyebrows, telling Ric that it was his turn to talk, give advice...or just say anything at all. Ric gave in, almost amused at Damon's dilemma.

'Huh...' he muttered in response, '...never pegged Elena as a woman of easy virtue.'

Damon firmly put the glass of Bourbon down on the counter, glaring openly at his drinking companion.

'You watch your mouth, that's my _wife_ you're talking about.'

'I don't see what the problem is Damon. Your _wife_ wants sex, you give it to her. End of story. Trust me; these are the days you should be savouring because pretty soon you'll be lucky if you get laid once a month let alone once a day.'

Damon frowned, actually taking into consideration Ric's advice. After all, the man was married at one time or another.

'It's not that I don't want to, it's just, well when people might struggle to describe me...'

'...psychopath, murderer, sarcastic asshole...' rhymed off the Teacher.

'I'll take that as a compliment Ric,' grinned the vampire, 'but my point is, despite all of my _better_ qualities, most women would say I was a _gentleman_ before anything else.'

Ric did not look convinced.

'Trust me Ric, I can be all kinds of charming when I want to be.'

'I'm sure, but what has this got to do with you not satisfying your wife?'

Damon considered responding and telling him just how _satisfied_ Elena was, but given the antique carriage clock that she launched at him when he refused her pregnant advances earlier this evening was now laying very much smashed in pieces on the bedroom floor, he knew he would be lying.

'Well it's not right is it? She's having my baby and it's not that I don't _want_ to have sex with her...' God was he really talking about having sex with Ric's _step-daughter_ to _Ric_?

'...I just have this really _awful_ memory of when I was seven and my mother was pregnant. My father was a horny bastard and God, _she_ was _worse_...' he paused to see Ric looking mightily confused and disgusted at the thought of the Vampires parents going at it – the Teacher wasn't so smart at putting the pieces together so he chose to elaborate, '...well, we all know how Stefan turned out don't we? I'm not going to risk _damaging_ my kid in any way just because I couldn't keep it in my designer pants. I don't think I could live with myself if he or she ended up anything like my _brother_.'

Ric slammed _his_ glass down on the counter, not before downing its contents.

'You're a _fucking idiot_,' raged the Teacher, not caring that he was insulting a homicidal vampire.

'I beg your pardon?' was all Damon could manage to get out. Ric did _ask_ what the problem was.

'Just what _the fuck_ is your problem man? It's not enough that you're ruining your own sex life but you have to ruin mine too? Dragging me out of my bed, away from _my_ horny girlfriend just to get me to sit and listen to you whine about your mommy and daddy issues?'

Damon looked at Ric as though this was a perfectly normal conversation and demanding his company to give sympathy and advice was totally normal.

Damon wanted advice? Oh Ric would give him his _advice_.

'You are _crazy_, just...' he paused as he slid his jacket on and downed the rest of Damon's drink after prying it out of his cold, _undead_ hands, '...go home and make up with your _wife_. That's if she still wants you of course after displaying your distinct lack of manliness...'

If Damon wasn't so floored by the human's lack of understanding, he would have ripped his throat out for daring to talk to him like that.

'Hey, where the hell are you going?' he shouted after Ric as he headed for the exit.

'Home! To get laid! I suggest you do the same!'

Damon growled loudly, grabbed the bottle of Bourbon ready to launch it at his best man, only to decide seconds later that the Bourbon didn't deserve to be wasted on that Know-It-All.

'Come on Damon, you can do this. Just go home and sleep with your wife...'

He swigged from the bottle and shrugged on his own leather jacket, before pausing to think about what he just said.

'...now that is one sentence I never thought I'd ever hear myself say...' he muttered, throwing the fifty dollar bill on the counter as he walked out of the bar.

* * *

_So, fun? Review and let me know what you think...much love, Ave x_


	18. Chapter 18

**Title:** He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **I do not even know what this chapter is. Seriously. I'm just writing and seeing what happens. And this is what you get. I reckon there will be another 2 chapters before the birth, with the one before the actual birth being HOW Damon and Elena got together.

Thanks once again to Rika, love you big much! Her beta skills are second to none.

And I don't even wanna talk about the Season 2 premier – I'm still reeling. Lineage is slowly getting there, I'm trying to decide what I can work from Season 2 into Lineage without throwing the story off. So that'll be interesting.

Enjoy!

Ave x

* * *

'I honestly have to say this is the most disgusting colour of paint I've ever seen. Whatever happened to the traditional pink or blue? You know, boy or girl?'

Damon growled at his younger _brother-in-law_. Good God, now he was _related_ to the punk.

'Elena doesn't want to know if it's a boy or a girl so we're going with something that won't look out of place in this old house and that's _neutral_.'

'And by neutral you mean...vomit or something?'

The boy was testing his patience. Elena had asked him to paint the nursery (amongst umpteen other things she asked him to do) and offered him Jeremy's, somewhat reluctant, services to assist. She was convinced it would keep him out of trouble. But if the boy kept going on about the damn colour, he would _define_ the word trouble anew.

'It's pale _olive_ dickhead; now keep that paint brush moving! Elena wants this done by the end of the day.'

'Well maybe if this room wasn't so damn big and if looking at the colour didn't make me want to hurl every two seconds it would get done a lot quicker...' he muttered, forgetting about Damon's exceptional vampire hearing.

'Jeremy, just _what_ is your problem?

The teenager shrugged his shoulders and continued to paint, 'whatever dude.'

Damon threw his paint roller into the tray, silently cursing the fact he agreed to the free help. He could have had the nursery painted in half the time without this idiot slowing him down.

'Whatever _dude_? Are you serious? You're saying _whatever dude _to _me_? Do not mess with me lonely _boy_. I've just about had it up to here,' he gestured to his forehead, 'with your whinging and moaning since you got back. If you're not careful you're going to find I will not blink twice at putting your head through that wall.'

Jeremy looked nervous for the whole of a second before he turned away and started to snigger, returning to paint the wall '...God, she's really busting your balls right now isn't she?'

Damon continued to stare at the young Gilbert, before giving up on the Mr Bad-Ass Vampire routine. He sighed and let out the tension in his shoulders, picking up his roller again.

'You have _no_ idea...' he replied tiredly.

'Hey how's it going in here boys?' Elena asked brightly entering the room, seemingly impressed with their progress so far.

'Well that's not patronising at all...boys? Really Elena?'

Damon looked at her and then continued to roll the paint onto the wall, growling a '_shut the fuck up_' at Jeremy who was struggling not to laugh at how under the thumb the vicious vampire really was.

'Well someone's cranky today.'

'You would be too if you had to spend all day working with this idiot,' he replied jerking his thumb towards Elena's brother.

'Hey!' complained the free-help.

'Well you're lucky that I'm going to need your help for something else this afternoon then, aren't you?' his wife grinned at him.

Damon rolled his eyes and tossed the paint roller down yet again, wondering what on earth she was going to have him do _this_ time. He gritted his teeth and turned to smile at her.

'And _what_ exactly do you need my help for this time princess?'

'You'll see,' she declared walking out the room with a smug smirk on her face.

An hour or so later they were on a drive out of town.

* * *

'Are you going to tell me where we're going then? Or am I going to have to use my non-existent ability to read your mind hmm?'

Elena smiled and placed her hand over his which was resting on the gearstick.

'We're going shopping. Jenna and I made a list of things we need to get before _Bump_ makes his or her arrival.'

'And you didn't think I'd want to help with the list?' he pouted.

'Well two weeks ago when Jenna and I were discussing it you were too busy holding back Ric's hair the morning after your bachelor party,' Elena explained, 'I was bored.'

Damon grimaced recalling that unfortunate morning, waking up with Ric having thrown up all over the expensive Persian rug in the Boarding House parlour. Damon angrily dragged Ric to the bathroom where he started to throw up again. He would have turned to leave the drunkard to it but, well...dammit if he'd learned anything from his time in the Confederacy, he knew you never leave a man behind. And besides, the sight of his best-man-to-be with his head stuck down a toilet would have made excellent bribery material as he decided to get snap-happy with his camera phone.

'I'll tell you something, Jenna might drink like a fish but at least she can hold her liquor,' he stated, accepting why he had been left out of the baby essentials discussion, 'but why are we going shopping _today_?'

Elena fussed about, looking for the notepad she'd brought with her that contained the 'important list', mumbling as she pulled all manner of crap out her handbag.

'Because, we're always saying we have plenty time for these things but the wedding is past so all I have to worry about now is getting organised for the baby.'

'So what you're _really _saying is, now you don't have a wedding to plan and you can't legitimately boss _Jenna_ around, you're going to make _my_ life a living misery for the next 3 and a half months?'

Elena smiled as she finally pulled the notepad out of her bag and turned to look at Damon who was still waiting on an answer.

'I prefer to think of it as making you my bitch.'

Damon frowned and rolled his eyes, 'Your bitch? Are you kidding me?'

'Nope,' she replied, flicking through the pad to find her list of things they were going to need to get today.

'Ok first of all, not a chance in hell, and second, Jeremy is definitely going back to where he came from...' he muttered as he pulled onto the freeway, shaking his head, having expected the teenager to have said something like that 'seriously since when did you start to talk like that?'

She put down the notepad and looked him dead in the eye.

'Since you got me pregnant and I gained ten pounds most of which have crept up on me in the past week...that's why!'

He didn't understand her annoyance at the weight gain; she looked perfectly healthy and just as beautiful as she did when they first met, if not more. Still that were women for you, complicated and irrational he thought. So he decided to just keep his mouth shut. It would be an argument he wouldn't win.

Damon had never been in a baby store before, he rarely shopped at all. That's what he previously had the internet for, and more recently, his _wife_. To say he didn't know where to start would be an understatement.

'So can I see what's on the list?'

'Sure,' she replied passing him the notepad open at the page with the list.

He looked at the pad, eyes almost popping out at just how much _stuff_ this kid was going to need.

'What the hell? This is a lot Elena, I doubt we'll fit it all in the car,' he noted, silently thankful he'd brought a few of his credit cards.

She grabbed a cart and made off down one of the aisles. For a woman who complained about lack of mobility these days she looked surprisingly brisk as she wheeled her way down the walkway.

'We don't have to get everything today Damon, but I want to take a look at car seats, sterilisers and we need to order the pram and stroller.'

He caught up with her and laced his arm around her, looking back at the seemingly endless list of things they had to buy.

'So no breast pumps, nipple cream or nursing bras today then?' he asked hesitantly.

Elena laughed at how Damon was like a fish out of water, visibly grimacing at the thought of just exactly _why_ she'd be needing nipple cream.

'You can relax,' she reassured him, 'I'll go with Jenna when I get around to thinking about _those_ particular items.'

He sighed in relief, moving behind and placing his arms around her, directing the cart towards the display of car seats he'd spotted the moment he walked through the door.

'Thank god, I don't think I could handle that just yet.'

He leaned over her shoulder and placed a kiss on her neck, just below her ear. He smirked at how her heart rate could be affected by something so simple.

The rest of the afternoon was spent roaming the aisles of the _Babies R Us _store, Damon unexpectedly getting so enthusiastic that Elena had to remind him that he needed room in the car to take _her_ and _the baby _home with him as well as all the other baby stuff. They managed to find the sterilizer, baby monitors, blankets, a Moses basket, room thermometer and the car seat. Damon felt the need to point out to Elena that the seat she chose would _still_ have fitted in his old Chevy Camaro, at which point Elena lost it. The old classic car was gone and he needed to deal with it.

'If you mention that car one more time I swear to God Damon, I'll file for divorce.'

He handed his credit card to the cashier and smiled sympathetically at her for having to ring through all the crap they had in their cart.

'Fine,' he ground out, 'I won't mention it again, but let's see how you feel when I decide that your autographed _Nick Carter_ poster you have had since you were 7 needs to go because it's not _practical_...'

'How do you know about that?' she hissed cutting him off, mortified at her old fan girl crush.

'Elena I know _everything_ about you,' he grinned, pushing the cart to the car in the parking lot.

'Yeah well, there's nothing _impractical_ about that poster so it's not going anywhere,' was the best retort she could muster.

'Maybe not, but it _is_ highly indicative of your questionable taste when it comes to men, and when I say 'men' I use the term very loosely in that particular case.'

'Well then I guess my judgement _must_ be questionable, considering I married _you_,' Elena bit back, smirking as she opened the car door and climbed inside, gasping as she felt Damon's hand on her ass helping her up. She turned around in the seat to find Damon grinning at her, making her forget what they had been bickering about.

'And I couldn't be happier that you did.'

'You really mean that don't you?' she asked as she felt him come closer to her, feeling his hands rest on her rounded stomach, rubbing gently.

'Of course I do, I'm happier than I have been in oh...at least 146 years,' he replied genuinely, feeling the kick from Elena's bump, something which never ceased to amaze him. He leaned up to kiss her before buckling her in and walking around to the driver's side.

'Your child is seriously playing soccer with my bladder today,' she muttered, fiddling with the air con as they drove out of the parking lot.

'Elena...' he admonished, 'really, that's a little TMI!'

In turn she glared openly at his insensitivity.

'That means 'too much information' in case you didn't know.'

'I know what it means Damon, I'd like to see how you would feel if you had a baby playing around with your insides,' she complained, now fiddling with the radio.

'You're right I'm sorry, forgive me?' he asked flashing those icy blue puppy dog eyes at her, momentarily taking his eyes off the road.

'Maybe, but seeing as I'm so uncomfortable and in pain, you should be, too. It would only be fair.'

He was honestly perplexed at how she thought she could inflict any kind of discomfort on a _vampire_, watching as she continued to mess around with the entertainment system, plugging in her iPod. And then he remembered just how _smart_ his _wife_ actually was, groaning as the sound of Backstreet _friggin_ Boys filled the car.

'The Gilbert device was like a lullaby compared to this racket!' he yelled over the loud music.

Elena chose simply to ignore him and instead sing along to _Backstreet's Back_, word for word, very badly.

Yes audible pain was still very much possible.

* * *

_Eh...so what do you think? It's probably filler, but this fic is meant to be about the random one-shots along the journey of having this kid, so I thought this fit the bill...thanks for reading, Ave x_


	19. Chapter 19

**Title:** He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **My my aren't you all so patient. Now I know i've been a little preoccupied with my other fic, _Lineage_, but I decided to just get this chapter out in the open. **It is a flashback** to the beginnings of how Elena & Damon somehow ended up married and expecting the pitter patter of tiny feet. This is about a month after Stefan left down (if you recall at Damon's suggestion). I think this is just really indulging my own little dream world but hey, I think it worked out not too shabby. I know its a long chapter but if you bear with it until the end I promise that you shall be rewarded suitably (I think!).

Much thanks to Rika (Zoraya Windwalker) for her beta services – she tells me she will be writing soon for an update of her TVD fic, so please go read it! It is rather wonderful. (I hope she doesn't hate me for that – pressure!)

And finally...this chapter is dedicated to Alli (toffeenutlatte). Happy Birthday for tomorrow my love, I hope this is a nice present for you!

Enjoy!

Ave x

* * *

Damon sat nursing a Scotch in front of the fireplace at the Boarding House wondering why in the hell he was even still in Mystic Falls. His brother had left, Jeremy was missing, Katherine had wreaked her revenge and Elena...well she was descending into some pathetic love-sick depression. What was worse and what made him even angrier than sympathetic was that she chose most of the time to do her moping in _his_ goddamn house.

'Is there anybody home?'

He rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth at her interruption of his own brooding. Good god if only he didn't love himself so much he'd drive a stake through his heart himself.

'I don't know why you ask if anybody's home – my car's in the drive.'

She strolled past the drinks cart, picking up the decanter of vodka as she made her way over to the sofa and sat down beside him. She noticed his mildly raised eyebrows as she poured herself a drink, not bothering to mix it with anything before throwing it down her throat.

'Bad day?' he asked, although making sure his tone indicated he wasn't affected either way.

'It's not like you care.'

He watched her gulp down another shot of vodka, seeing her wince at the burn in her throat and her pathetic attempt to disguise it.

'You're right I don't. You might want to try mixing that with something.'

'And you might want to stop acting like a jackass.'

Her face was cold but her glare was filled with a raging intensity. He couldn't bear to see her unnatural stare any longer.

'Well, someone's had a nice big bowl of bitch-flakes this morning huh?' and with that he walked into the kitchen and returned with a jug of fresh orange juice, ignoring her protests as he poured it into the glass of vodka.

He could have sworn he heard a mumbled 'thanks' as he settled back down with his own drink.

'So seriously, who lit the fuse on your tampon?'

He definitely heard the roll of her eyes in their sockets as she sighed and pulled her legs up onto the cushions, sipping at her drink. This was the only place she could come and be miserable without Jenna or Ric giving her lectures about how they were oh-so-concerned about her. Damon didn't care and she liked the fact he didn't start preaching to her about 'cheering up'.

'It's been a month.'

She could have elaborated but she knew he would understand what she meant.

'Oh, _that_,' he replied, pulling her legs out and placing them over his own with a pat on her feet.

'Yes Damon, _that_. A whole month since he just upped and left.'

He groaned loudly and turned to look at her.

'Are we seriously going over this again? You come here and all you do is moan about my idiot brother like it's my fault he left. Elena, I wasn't the one who tried to make a three course meal out of you, much as I may have wanted to at times...most of them in the past fucking month. Why do you even bother? It's not like I give a damn.'

'I didn't say it was your fault. But I could blame you if I really wanted to.'

Well now he was just pissed off.

'Now I know you didn't just say that. I'm not in the mood to be provoked today.'

'You could have stopped him Damon.'

'What? From jumping on that bus out of here or the next time he tried to eat you?'

This time he was looking directly at her, one leg hitched up on the cushion giving her his own trademark 'now is the time to be running' glare. But she wouldn't flee. She never did. Usually she just returned to her drink or book, whatever she was doing any other time they had some version or another of this conversation. But she didn't this time, instead she held his gaze.

'I'm sorry.'

'I don't follow.'

She sighed, put her feet back on the floor and moved next to him on the sofa. He didn't know what to make of it. It was the closest she'd been to him in the entire time since Stefan had left. It was making his feeble attempts to hate her that much harder.

'I've not exactly been myself recently.'

'I hadn't noticed,' he smirked, but angry at himself for letting her get to him all over again.

She looked up at him and smiled, probably genuinely for the first time in weeks. Dealing with her missing brother should have been her priority but somehow she fell into that same dark place she went after her parents died when she discovered that Stefan had left town. The only problem was, she didn't have anyone to pull her from it the way Stefan had when he came into her life. Now all she had was alcohol and her ex-boyfriend's sarcastic, homicidal-at-times, brother.

'I used to be more fun you know.'

'You know you keep telling me that but the more I spend time with you, the less I believe you.'

She sighed and leaned further into him, finding the crook of his neck with her forehead. He felt the growing anger within him and tried to force it back down like he did the bloodlust whenever he felt that ascend from inside, but it was no use.

'Elena what are you playing at?' he growled as he pushed her away, launching himself off the sofa and turning himself to look at her. She looked shocked and hurt, but he couldn't see past how all of this looked.

'I'm not playing anything,' she protested

'Stop lying!'

He was pacing in front of the fireplace now, feeling those damn emotions getting the better of him. Before Stefan had turned all _Hannibal Lecter _again he was already struggling with that nagging feeling in the pit of his stomach that he felt something for his brother's girlfriend, but sticking around just to be the shoulder to cry on – that's not him. Yet he did it, but he wouldn't be the one she'd go crying to when she came to her final realisation that yes, Stefan _had_ left her alone and wouldn't be coming back.

But she sat there, looking even more confused, tears streaming down her face. It was the first time he'd seen her cry in long enough and if he could, he would kick himself for it. But she needed to hear the truth.

'Elena you are kidding yourself if you think that bringing yourself here day after day is because you think it's going to help you get over whatever happened – well let me tell you, its _not_. I'm not that guy for you. I'm not the one who is going to say all the right things and make you feel better. And you know that. So why do you come here Elena?'

'You don't know what you're talking about. I'm here because I thought we were friends!'

It wasn't a shout or a scream, but it was pained whatever it was.

'Do you hear yourself right now? Are you seriously trying not to admit to yourself that what we've been doing here means something? Stop using me to feel better about yourself!'

He turned his back to her and leaned over the fire, gripping tightly onto the wood surround above it. He had just come clean about everything and the thought of throwing himself into the flames became all too tempting, but he felt her hands on his shoulders, guiding him round to face her.

'Damon...'

'No, there is something going on between the two of us Elena and you know it. And you're lying to me; you're lying to your family and most of all you're lying to yourself...and I can prove it.'

With that he took her hands from his shoulders and leaned down to kiss her gently. But she moved away and tried to release herself from his grip.

'Damon please don't I care about you, I do but...'

He sighed and turned his back on her again.

'No Elena, you don't because if you did you wouldn't use me as some crutch to get over my brother,' he all but spat.

She was still behind him and he could hear her heart thumping in her chest, it was his very own way of giving her a lie detector test. And she _was_ lying to herself. But he was done trying to get her to see that.

'If you had let me finish, I was going to say that I care about you but that it scares me...'

He didn't expect that, and turned back to look at her. She was still in the same spot in front of him and he watched as she looked everywhere but him trying to get the guts to carry on.

'...the last time I let anyone in I was hurt, and I still am – I can't trust myself anymore Damon. I just can't risk letting you in and then I end up hurting you instead. You don't deserve that. I don't want you to try and fix me, that's not what this is.'

'That's where you're wrong Elena, you don't get to decide what I do or don't deserve. And someone _needs_ to put you back together, because, this you?...' he stated, looking down at her with some degree of compassion, '...is not the real Elena. And as much as I hate to admit it, _you_ fixed _me_ a long time ago.'

She stood watching him, letting him push the stray strands of hair from her eyes to behind her ears, letting his hand linger.

'Damon I can't promise you anything.'

'I'm not asking you to,' he replied with calm sincerity, 'just...let me try this again ok?'

By this point Elena was completely perplexed, barely even able to feel the way her hands felt in his as he moved closer to her, moving his other hand to her waist as the other lifted towards her cheek. Her skin was smooth just as he had expected – she was warm, colourful and _alive_.

Elena's eyes were locked on his, 'Try… what?'

Pausing for one more breath he pulled his arm up Elena's back, bringing her closer into him, whispering 'this' onto her lips as they almost brushed together. The atmosphere was charged and Damon allowed himself to release his final hesitations as he kissed Elena with conviction, his curiosity finally getting the better of him.

His previous deliberations had been well-founded as he felt the wave of emotion sweep over him, barely realising Elena's paralysed body warming to his embrace, melting almost into his arms. She had managed to allow her hands to find the small of his back, pulling him closer to her as he held the back of her head, drawing her upwards, winding his fingers into her hair. The slow and tender kiss was a complete surprise to him – he didn't know he still had it in him.

But he didn't care as he moved them further back into the room away from the fire, feeling her lips on his with every step they took. The fury of emotions swept over him, the more he wanted from Elena. She had single-handedly handed him back his ability to feel _something_, he wanted her to show him what else she could do for him, how much better she could make him feel, that if she wanted to, he would let her.

Allowing the heat to pick up between them, Damon kissed her with an urge as Elena keenly responded, feeling his mouth cover hers completely as his hands moved their way to her waist, ever so slightly brushing her breasts as they made their way slowly downwards. Before he knew what he was doing he had backed a submissive Elena onto the sofa, feeling his body press up against her tiny frame.

Reality seemed to snap back into him as he felt Elena pull away from his kiss, gasping heavily for air, barely looking at him. She tried to even out her breathing, holding tightly onto his arms which were hooked under her own, his palms holding closely to the top of her shoulders.

Not really knowing what to do with his hands he thought it was safest to just keep them where they were and hope she wouldn't try to leave.

Just what was going on with this girl? Why was she having this effect on him?

Damon looked down at her again, catching her eye line and he could see that fragile girl inside her.

'I'm not sorry for this,' he mumbled onto her neck as he moved his head down, leaving a trail of kisses around and up the other side of her face.

He felt so strung out feeling so many things all at the same time. He'd been used to burying his emotions for the past few months, even getting to the point where he didn't even think he had feelings that he could bury. And now it was as though someone had just flicked that switch and the emotions were radiating out of him…in ways he clearly couldn't control. And that _someone_ who flicked his switch was lying there beneath him, not knowing any of this. He didn't know how he felt at all about any of it, but she deserved better than his feeble excuses – hence his non-apology. After all, he was the one who initiated the state of confusion, with the kissing.

'Don't be sorry Damon; aren't you tired of being sorry even if you can't say it out loud?'

When he caught her lips with his and took her face into his hands Elena held on for dear life as he pulled her into him, feeling the electric space between the two of them. Readily returning his kiss, Damon knew that she understood.

Damon had given up on pushing aside any of his emotions and whether this was a crazy idea or something which could lead to a less lonely future, he just didn't know. What he _did_ know was that he had a beautiful girl opening him up with every kiss and every touch. He just didn't want to let her go.

He kissed her passionately and allowed himself to want to be _with_ her. Something he had not thought about with another woman for a long time.

Damon had no idea how Elena was feeling about the whole situation, but from the way she was responding to his kiss, hungrily returning his focused attention he felt confident enough to lay her back onto the sofa, covering her frame with his own as he struggled to think of how else to tell her that he wanted her without scaring her, as pretty soon his own body would be telling her that of its own free will given the way his pants were becoming more and more restricting. Having Elena pull at his shirt to bring him even closer to her, almost pulling it off completely, he knew that despite the apparent green light, he wanted to know for sure she wanted to be with him too.

'Is this what you want?' he mumbled through his kisses, wanting to make sure that he didn't just take her actions for granted.

She didn't say a word as she allowed him to kiss his way down her jaw to her neck; she simply took his head in her hands and gently encouraged him to continue.

As Damon continued to kiss his way along her collarbone he used his hands to run up the side of sweater, gently lifting her up to remove it as she arched her back, pulling him back down on top of her, leaving only a camisole covering her modesty. As she allowed Damon to caress her breasts, he kissed her fully on the mouth feeling her move her hands to his waistband.

This was really happening.

Today he woke up with little energy, taking all day to mentally prepare for Elena's morbidly depressing daily visit to the Boarding House. Yet here he was, body over hers, feeling completely alive, and wanting to take his desire for her to the edge of its limits.

He wanted to take her into his bed and let her make him feel even more.

'Maybe we should…'

'Mmhmm,' Elena mumbled, nodding her agreement to him as he pointed to the ceiling indicating about taking this to the bedroom.

He gathered her in his arms and moved them upstairs, during which time she had kicked off her boots and loosened her hair from its band. As he lay down over her on his bed, his hand found its way to her cheek bringing her up to his face, and they lingered there in that moment for what felt like minutes, even though it was in fact only seconds.

Ghosting her lips Damon couldn't take much more holding back, feeling the eagerness to be inside of her rise within him. _Her_, this girl who seemingly had supernatural powers, powers allowing her to get inside of his head; powers to understand him.

As though she was reading his mind she locked their lips together again, gently raising her hands up his torso, his shirt being unbuttoned by her nimble fingers. She must have been able to _feel_ his attraction for her - _against_ her by then but she wasn't making a beeline for the door, quite the opposite in fact. The pale white camisole landed on the floor beside the bed moments later, followed shortly by her bra.

Embracing her warm skin, kissing her neck and every freckle on her body, the passion between them picked up even more as Damon moved himself against Elena, his hand winning the battle between him and the zipper on her jeans. He expected removing them to be awkward, but as with everything else that evening, it had been as though it was meant to happen as her silky legs wrapped around him and he found her removing his own jeans.

Damon pulled the comforter over them, despite the heat from their bodies allowing them to be anything but cold. It just seemed a little more personal, and less rushed which is what he hoped Elena would feel.

As their hands explored each other Elena seemed to already be on the brink of finding herself succumbing to him judging by the way she pulled his hips into hers making Damon feel the excitement within him even more. Carefully, he found his hand under the silk of her underwear causing Elena to jolt unexpectedly from the contact.

He never expected her to be but she was every bit as giving as he was, taking him in her hands and allowing him to experience certain other feelings he had not felt in a long time.

Furiously kissing each other Elena pushed Damon off of her and over onto his back as she straddled him, clearly keen to show that she was not just about to take what he was able to give her without returning it. With barely anything on, having Elena on top of him grinding on his hips was almost too much as he felt himself on the brink of giving in, having felt overwhelmed by the rush of adrenalin.

Feeling that it was now or never Damon rolled Elena onto her back once again and as she was about to protest he kissed her again, moving his hand to her underwear, removing it altogether, quickly followed by his boxers.

'Just trust me, ok?'

She nodded submissively, that sweet smile across her face changing to one of untold pleasure as she felt him inside of her, clamping down hard on his length. Damon could barely make sense of anything in the seconds after that, as he pressed his body to hers, muttering sighs with every thrust.

Intense and passionate as their connection was, there was a distinct tenderness to it as Damon couldn't bear to let his hand move from her face as he kissed her, Elena fervently returning them and clutching onto his shoulders

On the other side though, they pulled and grabbed at each other furiously, their passion clearly a desperate one, as if to try and heave out every single ounce of sexual frustration from one and other and deal with it thoroughly. As Elena moaned into Damon's ear, she sighed his name almost sub-consciously, and it drove Damon completely over the edge. He wanted to know that his name was the only one she would say in that way. He knew that it would take a hell of a lot for any woman to make him feel even a fraction of the way Elena could.

Taking Elena in his lap again he shifted his arm underneath her and gently lifted her off of the bed. She clung onto him for dear life, the feeling of him still inside of her sending her senses into overdrive. Elena felt the cool hardness of the wall behind her, a welcome pleasuring feeling as the heat in the room was almost overpowering. Still Damon throbbed in between her legs. She could feel the fire insider her reach its peak and she was about to loose control as she tightened her grip on Damon. She tilted her head back and closed her eyes as if trying to remember every single second of her climax.

He felt her every sensation as she pulled his chest into her own. She in turn felt him tense up, his right hand slamming into the wall as he came inside of her, his breathing labored as he made great effort to hold her up with his one remaining arm. He finally rested his head on her shoulder, kissing what seemed to be soft apologies on her clammy body.

He figured at this point that she was simply lost and just looking to be found.

A lot like him.

He moved them back to the bed and as they lay in each other's arms, Damon casually stroked Elena's head, playing with her hair and she ran her hands up and down his chest. Careful not to spoil the moment Damon waited a while to speak.

'You know, if you were the first thing I saw every day I think I could cope with anything.'

He leaned into her and gave her a kiss on the forehead.

'You don't have to say that,' she replied, looking away shyly, clearly not expecting Damon to do pillow talk, but he picked up on it straight away, drawing her head back to his to look her in the eye.

'I mean it,' he stated sincerely as she blushed intensely, 'I'll be honest though, I don't know what I'm capable of giving beyond this, beyond tonight, but I'm willing to see where it goes if you are.'

She pondered his offer for a while before returning his question with a smile and a coy look.

'We'll see, although if you're really wanting to 'see where it goes' then maybe try asking me on a date first before taking me straight to bed.'

She leaned in and kissed him fully on the lips before climbing out of bed, quickly throwing her sweater over herself and pulling her underwear on.

'A date?' he hadn't been on a date in years (unless you counted Caroline, which he _didn't_), 'Ok then, how about tomorrow afternoon, meet me here. And this time don't just head straight for the liquor cabinet. You'll need a clear head if you're going on a date with Damon Salvatore.'

'Talking about yourself in third person? Seriously?'

She grinned at his cocky yet genuine smile as he shrugged his shoulders.

'Can't change the habits of a lifetime.'

Nodding at his response she tried to gather her thoughts.

'I should go, but I'll come back tomorrow.'

He couldn't tell what she was thinking; figuring he'd tuned himself out too much from trying in recent weeks – all part of his denial of his true feelings for her.

'Elena, are you ok?'

Looking back at him lying on his bed, the white sheet covering the majority of his naked body, she knew he was wondering if this was the last time he would see her. She leaned over and kissed him again, lingering for a few seconds before moving away slightly, 'Really, I'm good, it's just this day did not turn out at all like I expected.'

'So...does that mean it wasn't a total waste of makeup then?' he asked remembering her complaint to him from the previous day before she launched into a rant about how pointless it was even getting up in the morning when her life was such a mess. He hoped that what happened today would signal the end of those types of conversations between the two of them.

She laughed openly and finished getting dressed before mumbling, 'yeah, something like that.'

Before she left she turned to him, feeling his eyes on her.

'Damon, thank you.'

'For what? The sex? You're most welcome Elena,' was the cocky reply that came from his mouth, completely comfortable in his current state of undress.

'No, well _yes_, that too,' she blushed, desperately trying to keep that under control in the presence of a freaking vampire, 'but I meant thank you for putting up with my bullshit. I know I've not been the easiest person to be around of late.'

'I have no idea what you're talking about; you've been like a little ray of sunshine peaking into my dark castle of doom and gloom.'

She found herself back to rolling her eyes at his sarcasm; hoping she hadn't seen the last of his sensitive side; although she figured it would take a lot more than a one night stand or casual sex, whatever she could call what just happened, to get there again.

'If you say so,' she responded rather unconvincingly, 'I'll see you tomorrow Damon.'

And with one last kiss she was gone.

He lay there, arms behind his head, as his brain began to relive every moment of what just happened, looking down at the sheets to see that _other parts_ of him were also recalling his unexpected tryst with Elena. He could barely believe that he had been able to convince her to kiss him back let alone have her in his bed. The hard part, well apart from the obvious one underneath the sheets, would be not screwing it up (_literally_), like he knew he was capable of doing. But the worry about that could wait until tomorrow – little Elena Gilbert had tired him out completely and all he could think about was showing his sheets some ass and his pillow some head.

* * *

_Love it? Hate it? Rather have Pearl gouge your eyes out like poor Damon than read any more?_

_Either way I'd love to know. I'm only 20 reviews off of the big 400 (I actually can't even believe that, it still makes my eyes pop out when I see that) so if you have 30 seconds, please, please hit that button and review._

_Thanks, Ave x_


	20. Chapter 20

**Story**: He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **First of all I want to apologise for the wait. I've been on holiday and also had a bit of a crazy few weeks but here is the next chapter.

Secondly, THANK YOU! I got over 40 reviews for the last chapter and I can't thank you enough, seriously. It meant the world to me to know how much you are enjoying this admittedly random story and I have to say I am truly humbled by your responses.

I just hope that you do enjoy this chapter. I guess it's a little bit of filler but it leads up to something good I hope.

And thanks to my wonderful Rika, she's an amazing beta. Read her fics! (penname Zoraya Windwalker).

Thank you all.

Ave x

* * *

Elena pulled on her robe and wandered into the kitchen. It was only 8am but usually she was up and dressed by now.

'Why didn't you wake me up?' she mumbled, sticking her head in the fridge for the milk.

Damon was flicking through some papers on the island in the middle of the kitchen, making notes on them and looking uncharacteristically concentrated.

'Because Elena, you were snoring like a freight train. I tried to wake you up but you took a swing at me – after that I gave up.'

'I do _not_ snore Damon,' she bit back in protest.

He smirked but didn't look up from his papers, 'sure you don't.'

She went to pour herself some coffee, trying to make sure Damon couldn't see which coffee pot she had picked up.

'Ah, ah, ah...decaff for you.'

'Ok how the hell did you even know that I didn't go for the decaff?'

Damon looked up from the paperwork and found Elena standing there beside him; hip jutted to the side, and with her serious face glaring at him. Reaching up he tapped the side of her nose and smirked.

'Trust me, I have an excellent sense of smell.'

'Oh come on Damon, I'm due in four weeks, it's not like the caffeine is going to stunt the baby's growth now, have you seen the size of me?' she pouted, gesturing to her stomach.

'Doesn't matter, if I gave up feeding on humans for the rest of my un-dead life, you can give up caffeine for 9 months.'

'Ok somehow I don't think you giving up your unnatural feeding habits equates to me giving up real coffee.'

'On the contrary, drinking from a human is very natural to _me_, you know, the _vampire_ in the room, but ok have it your way, when Damon Junior doesn't make varsity basketball we'll tell him you smoked during the pregnancy instead.'

Elena muttered 'ass' as she settled for a cup of decaff before getting back to the strange sight of Damon pouring over the mass pile of papers in front of him.

'What are you doing anyway?'

'Curiosity killed the cat you know,' he drawled, giving Elena his lecturing look. Keeping his pregnant wife on the straight and narrow during the past few months had given him plenty of time to perfect the look.

'Don't look at me like that; I want to know what you're up to. You never look this serious unless something bad is happening.'

'Something bad is happening,' he mumbled shuffling the papers about, 'there's a recession on and some of the Salvatore investments aren't what they used to be.'

Elena groaned and sat down next to him, looking at all the financial statements and paperwork that held his attention.

'Seriously, is that all you're worried about?'

Sighing, he put down the papers and looked at her.

'Money doesn't grow on trees Elena,' he reprimanded.

'I know that,' she mumbled, feeling mildly embarrassed considering the amount of baby things she'd ordered in the past few weeks on his credit card, 'it's just you're not the kind of person I thought would worry about things like money...I mean there's a brand new Ferrari sitting in the drive Damon.'

'I was having a bad day and needed to cheer myself up, ok?' he replied, recalling that disastrous morning at Lamaze class a few weeks ago. They sat there in silence for a second or two before Damon turned to Elena and pulled her bar stool closer to him without effort, despite her extra baby weight.

'That was the Damon who didn't have to worry about supporting a wife and putting a kid through college. Then of course there is your pain in the ass of a brother who is currently eating us out of house and home. I had to get serious sometime.'

'We have plenty of time to worry about that ok?' she replied, planting a kiss on his lips as she struggled to get out of the stool without falling over, 'but thank you, even if this _serious_ you is totally creeping me out right now.'

Elena pottered around the kitchen, clearing the plates and mugs into the dishwasher. For all that the Boarding House was from the outside stuck in the 1800s; she couldn't help but be grateful that inside, the Salvatores had moved with the times.

'Where is Jeremy anyway?' she asked putting the milk back in the fridge, noticing that Damon was right, it was decidedly bare no thanks to her brother.

'In the guest room, keeping out of trouble. He's probably twittering some girl's yahoo on FriendFace or something.'

Elena giggled to herself a little at Damon's failure to keep up with modern day social networking. Although she doubted he had any friends to _socially network with _in the first place.

'It's called _Facebook_ Damon, and he better not be. Can't you take him out with you today?'

Damon sighed loudly, giving up altogether at making sense of the Salvatores share portfolio and began to put the papers away altogether, 'Elena I agree, the kid needs to get out more but I'm not his babysitter. You know I don't do the older brother thing very well.'

'Come on Damon, just this once? For me?'

Groaning he pulled her into him from behind and rested his pouting chin on her shoulder.

'You're getting far too good at this wrapping me around your little finger.'

'Can't help that when it comes to me you're easy like that,' she grinned, turning around and giving him yet another kiss before waddling off to get dressed for the baby shower at Jenna's.

'How many times is that going to come back to bite me on my ass?' muttered Damon to the empty kitchen.

* * *

Elena walked into her old backyard to find it adored with ribbons, balloons and a stack of presents even Santa would be jealous of. If she didn't know better...

'Elena!'

...it had Caroline written all over it.

'Caroline? What are you doing here?' she struggled to speak as Caroline drew her into a rather uncomfortable hug, only for the reason the baby was now pressing directly onto her bladder.

'Well Jenna called and I was so upset that I couldn't be there for the wedding, that I just had to come back and make sure I was here for the baby shower. No family drama this time!'

Elena was pleased to see Caroline and she was upset that she hadn't been there at the wedding, if only to tell her how she would have planned it completely differently. After Katherine's parting gift for the town all those months ago, besides kidnapping her brother, was to leave one of her best friends as a vampire, Elena had agreed it might have been best for her to leave town for a while when her father became ill. Besides, despite Caroline's reservations, she didn't take half as much convincing that she hadn't lost her mind at marrying Damon. Unlike Bonnie, who was now standing next to the blonde.

'I'm so pleased you're both here...it would have been a rather boring baby shower if it was just me and Jenna.'

'Hey, I heard that!'

Elena looked behind her friends to find her aunt coming outside with glasses for drinks, three with champagne, one with… well, something without alcohol. _Great_, thought Elena, first caffeine and now alcohol. She was beginning to get more than a bit miffed at this pregnancy thing. Her swollen ankles were just the tip of the iceberg.

'Sorry Jenna.'

'Well come on,' urged Bonnie, 'Caroline dragged me around the mall for six hours straight yesterday, buying you those gifts, the least you can do is open them.'

Elena was thankful that Bonnie seemed to be continuing to put her reservations about her relationship with Damon to one side, much like she had done since the wedding.

'Ok then,' she replied trying to not sound too nervous at just what the hell Caroline had bought her, 'which one should I open first…

* * *

'So what? You're babysitting me now?'

Jeremy grumbled at Damon as he was shoved into a seat at some bar not far out of town.

'Do I look like I'm fourteen with pig-tails?' he growled back sarcastically.

Damon had to practically force Jeremy out of his guest room at the boarding house. He found him lying on his bed, in three day old boxers, playing Call of Duty on the Xbox. Declining Jeremy's invitation to join him, Damon had swung open the curtains and tossed the human easily into the shower.

'_You_ look like a dick,' huffed the teenager.

He wasn't going to lie; on occasion it was nice to have some more testosterone in the Boarding House. Elena's hormones had a habit of dominating the place sometimes, especially when he forgot to put the toilet seat down after going to the bathroom or something else equally trivial. But the kid was seriously getting on his nerves by now.

'And _you_ look like crap. Seriously Jeremy, Elena is worried about you. She's almost ready to pop and I won't have you stressing her out anymore than she already is, so either you tell me what's going on, or you get your shit together. You can start opening a window in that room of yours. It stinks.'

Damon gestured to the bar tender to come over for a drinks order.

'Is that your best?'

'My best what?' asked Damon looking confused.

Jeremy laughed a little, shaking his head.

'Your best dad impression. Gotta tell you dude, it needs some work.'

Damon glared at Jeremy as he ordered two beers before turning his attention back to the kid.

'Don't push me. Maybe the _don't do drugs_ lecture will be more effective – Elena's given me a few pointers.'

Jeremy shrank back into the seat, avoiding eye contact with the vampire.

'I'm not...' but before Jeremy could even attempt some ridiculous lie, Damon cut him off.

'You can't lie to me so don't even try. I can smell the pot off you.'

The bar tender returned with their drinks and Jeremy looked tentatively at the beer Damon had ordered for him.

'Go ahead,' Damon gestured to the beer, 'but this is me telling you to grow up. I don't want it in my house you hear me?'

Jeremy snorted but took the beer and drank it eagerly. Damon figured Jeremy's problems had something to do with struggling to fit back into his life in Mystic Falls after being kidnapped by his psycho-ex. But if the kid wouldn't talk, there was nothing he could do about it.

'If I tell you I'll make more of an effort will you quit with the psycho analysis and keep the beers coming?'

Damon stared at Elena's brother, noticing the small beginnings of a smile creep onto his face before looking to the door to see Ric come sauntering in.

'Don't push it Jeremy.'

Damon gestured to the bar tender again for another three beers and moved along to let the Teacher in.

'Isn't he underage?' he asked Damon, pointing to Jeremy.

'I won't tell if you won't,' grinned the vampire as he swigged at his bottle, 'so what brings you to this sunny side of town anyway? It can't just be for my riveting company.'

'Well it beats being surrounded by broody women and their damn biological clocks.'

Both Damon and Jeremy sniggered openly, swigging at their beers as Alaric complained about being outnumbered by the number of women in Jenna's house.

'So by women you mean Jenna?' asked the youngest of the group, watching as the defeated Teacher picked up his beer and took one long drink.

'Got it in one.'

* * *

'Ok what the hell is that?'

Elena held the contraption in her hands hesitantly, eyeing it from end to end.

'It's a breast-pump for when you breast feed! Honestly Elena, have you read any of the pregnancy textbooks I've sent you?'

Caroline was more enthusiastic about the impending pitter patter of tiny feet than all three of the other women put together. The moment Elena had told her the news she'd received a shipment of baby books ranging from _The Best Friend's Guide to Pregnancy_ (somewhat ironic considering Caroline had never nor would ever have a child of her own) to _What to Expect When You're Expecting_ – which was currently being used as a coaster for Damon's favourite Scotch glass on his bedside table.

'It's a what?' grimaced Bonnie as she looked from the device to Elena and back again, 'ok whatever you do, do _not_ let Damon see that.'

'Well if she's going to breast-feed she's going to need one,' protested the blonde in the group, 'you are going to breast-feed aren't you?'

Elena felt awash with fear and the strike of reality of what came after the pregnancy. Up until now she hadn't given much thought beyond getting through the labour, which by all accounts looked pretty horrific after watching those videos in her Lamaze class. Damon had gone a very peculiar shade of gray that one morning a few weeks ago.

'I haven't really thought about it, I don't want to set myself up for doing it then get upset if I can't. I know some first time mothers don't always manage to get it right.'

It was a somewhat truthful reply, but Elena was still trying to get her head around the idea of being primary care giver to a needy child, and not one of the Damon variety on occasion.

'I'm sure you'll pick it up fine Elena,' reassured Jenna, 'besides, we'll be here to help with everything...except maybe the breast feeding, that's all on you.'

Elena smiled meekly at her aunts attempt to make her feel better.

'Thank you, all of you. The baby gifts are wonderful. I don't know what I'd do without you.'

She felt overcome with emotion and tried hard not to cry but her damn baby hormones had struck again and soon she was in floods of tears being comforted by Bonnie.

'Well you don't need to worry about that, because we're here to help. Although you might want to watch where you're spilling your glass, you're ruining my new shoes.'

Elena looked up at Bonnie, wiping away her tears, 'What glass?'

Bonnie looked at Elena's empty hands then down at her shoes which were most definitely a darker shade of pale suede blue with liquid dripping down the side of her right leg.

'What the...oh my god, Elena! Gross!'

'What?'

'What is it?'

Both Jenna and Caroline were beside Elena within seconds, watching Bonnie furiously try to dry her legs and feet with the tablecloth as it finally dawned on them what just happened.

'Oh God,' whispered Elena, eyes looking back up to the group as she gripped on her swollen stomach, 'I think my water just broke.'

* * *

'Yeah well marriage is like a deck of cards, you start with 2 hearts and a diamond, and it always ends with you wanting a club and a spade,' muttered Jeremy who was by then more than half way to a little drunk.

'How the hell would you know? You're what? Sixteen?' drawled Damon, who if anyone were to ask, would deny to the death that he was actually enjoying _Guys Day Out_, 'come back to me when you get hitched, maybe then your opinion will be relevant _little Gilbert_. And how did we even get onto this topic of conversation anyway?'

Alaric was about to remind Damon that he was the one who brought up the topic of marriage after complaining about Elena's spiralling hormones and obsessive need for the toilet seat to be put down after use, when his phone rang. He smiled seeing Jenna's name flashed up on the caller ID before answering.

'You do know you're interrupting some very intense male bonding Miss Sommers,' he muttered seductively, stepping away from the table to go outside, grinning into the phone.

'_Screw that, Elena's gone into labour, you need to get to the hospital NOW!_' growled his girlfriend as she hung up the phone.

Ric stumbled back to the table as he shoved his phone back into the pocket of his jeans.

'You look like someone just told you you're related to Hitler,' joked Damon as he took another mouthful of beer, clinking the bottle with his brother-in-law who found his attempt at humour the funniest thing he'd ever heard.

'Uh, no. That was Jenna.'

'Come on tell us, what did you do this time to piss her off?'

Ric struggled with how to break the bombshell to Damon gently and avoid making a complete scene, but upon realising this was _Damon_ he figure there was no real way around that one.

'Elena's in labour.'

'She's what? Why the fuck didn't you say sooner? Is she at home? Is she going to the hospital? What's happening Ric?'

The vampire's stranglehold on his shoulders could have shattered his bones, but getting agitated wasn't going to help the situation at all.

'Damon why don't you calm down ok?'

'Calm down? Calm _down_? I am calm! _You_ calm the fuck down!'

Damon pushed passed him, grabbing his jacket and careened towards the exit followed swiftly by Jeremy and Ric. The Teacher just managed to get to the car in time before Damon got into the driver's seat. He might not have been drunk but he was on edge and no amount of vampire speed or quick reactions would matter if Damon's head wasn't in the game to focus on getting to the hospital in one piece.

'Oh no you don't. I'll drive. You get in the back with Jeremy and make sure he doesn't puke everywhere. It'll be good practice.'

Ric had expected a fight but Damon simply threw the rather green looking younger brother of his wife into the back seat of the SUV and growled '_drive_' as he slammed the door shut behind him, trying his best not to freak the fuck out at the fact this was not meant to be happening right now. First babies were meant to be late – the fact this kid had his or her father's time keeping skills as opposed his mother's endless lack of ability to be on time was of no comfort to him whatsoever. Not until he got to the hospital to make sure Elena was safe.

* * *

_So, it all begins. And Caroline is back. I wasn't sure about bringing her back, and as a vampire, but I figured she wasn't at the wedding and I love vamp!Caroline so I hope you enjoy the next chapter. I'll try to have it up as soon as possible._

_So, good or bad, let me know what you think?_

_Thanks,_

_Ave x_


	21. Chapter 21

**Story**: He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **So this update is marginally quicker than the last few so I guess I should be pleased with that. Totally not sure about this chapter. I hummed and hawed over it for a few days but I'm gonna just go with it and see what you all think.

Secondly, again a massive THANK YOU! The reviews for the last chapter were amazing – I just hope you enjoy this chapter as much too.

Thank you once again to Rika. She helped a lot this week when I lost a bit of my motivation – even if she doesn't realise it. Thank you my friend! Read her fics! (penname Zoraya Windwalker).

Thank you all.

Ave x

* * *

The four women, including one very pregnant Elena, somehow managed to squeeze into Jenna's Mini Cooper for the trip to the hospital. Caroline was told to sit in the backseat with Elena for hand holding duties considering she was the only amongst them with the super-human strength ability to handle just how tight Elena was gripping during her contractions, which thankfully were still 6 minutes apart and lasting no longer than 30 seconds. Elena knew that when her contractions were less than 4 minutes apart and lasting for longer than a minute was just about the time when she should be panicking. Still, it didn't make the contractions she was experiencing just then any less damn painful.

She was going to kill Damon for this. And she would drag it out. No quick stake through the heart for him. Oh no, she'd implant splinters all over his body – in his earlobes, under his fingernails and most importantly she'd put one right up the end of a certain appendage for doing this to her. Even then she was sure that it would be nowhere near as painful as the spasms of pain rippling across her midriff for the past 20 minutes.

'Did you call Damon?' she asked during a moment of brief respite.

Jenna shook her head, looking quickly in her rear-view mirror to witness a heavily panting Elena with sweat dripping drown her brow. The sight made Jenna completely re-evaluate whether she ever wanted to have kids, despite how cute a mini-Alaric would possibly be.

'No, I called Ric – he's going to bring Damon to the hospital.'

Elena groaned trying to mentally note that she should apologise to her pseudo-Uncle come step-father for Jenna giving him that unfortunate role in this whole nightmare.

'Good.'

'Um, Elena? I don't mean to be a bitch or anything, well, no more than usual but you're kind of breaking my fingers.'

Elena glared at the blonde vampire beside with her, also noting the oblivious stare of Jenna and Bonnie in the front seats, trying to ignore what was happening in the back seat.

'What do you care? You'll heal,' she groaned out as another contraction took control, 'now can we _please_ just hurry up and get to the hospital? I'm not going to _give birth_ at the side of a highway with a vampire playing midwife!'

* * *

'How are you holding up back there?'

Ric peeked into the rear-view mirror to see Jeremy with his head between his knees and Damon staring right back at him looking like he was ready to kill...which he probably was.

'How do you think I'm holding up Ric? My wife is currently en route to the hospital after going into labour four weeks early, I'm stuck in the back seat with my brother-in-law who is about to puke any second and _you_ are driving like an old aged pensioner. Are you planning on getting me to the hospital anytime today?'

'There's no need to be a dick about it Damon. Nobody knew this was going to happen today.'

Ric gripped the steering wheel and pressed down harder on the gas, imagining he was stamping on Damon's head instead.

'I think I'm going to be sick' was the low grumble from the back as Jeremy tried to roll down the window but failed in spectacular fashion by then proceeding to vomit down the back of the passenger seat.

'Well that's just...that's just great,' Ric muttered as he finally pulled into the parking lot of Mystic Falls General, cursing the fact he'd just had his car serviced and cleaned.

Damon refrained from ensuring the younger Gilbert was ok, instead choosing to unlock his door and pushing him out onto the asphalt.

'_You_,' he pointed menacingly to Jeremy, 'sober the fuck up and _you_,' this time gesticulating at Alaric, 'call Jenna. I'm going to find my wife.'

Jeremy clung to Ric as he struggled to stand up.

'I think he's worrying about Elena going into labour early,' he stated to The Teacher.

Ric just groaned and hauled the teenager off the ground and towards the hospital.

'Jeremy, when you have nothing else to say but to state the obvious, when it comes to Damon, the best you can do is say nothing at all ok? At least that way your jugular might just stay where it's supposed to be...in your _neck_.'

* * *

'Come on ladies, there should only be one of you in here with Elena.'

The midwife had come back into the room Elena had been admitted to and found three extremely agitated women crowding the bed with the expectant mother-to-be desperately trying to get comfortable. The look on her face matched the angry growl of her chastisement.

'Elena, your doctor will be around to see you shortly. As you _seem_ to be in premature labour she's going to need to do a few extra checks, but as your contractions are still only four and a half minutes apart there is still some time yet before we need to move you into the Labour suite. Will the father be joining you?'

Elena couldn't shake the judgemental tone of her voice, as though the midwife was silently questioning whether she was just another unmarried, single teenage mother like the other young women she sees so often in the maternity wards. Elena was pissed off, but this woman might have some kind of hand in what kind of pain relief she was administered so she would make sure to play as nice as possible.

'If my husband knows what's good for him he'll be here,' was the threat that turned into moan as another contraction gripped her tightly, although she made damn sure she flashed her wedding ring in the midwife's direction just in case, not missing the nod of approval that was sent back her way.

'Ok good, well I'll be back in about five minutes. Try to get comfortable and perhaps lose a couple of members from your entourage. Giving birth is not a pay per view event.'

Elena nodded and the midwife left them alone in the room. God, she was a total dragon. She just hoped that her own gynaecologist would get there soon. Sure the woman fancied her husband but she doubted she'd bark orders at her like the midwife.

'Well, I should probably go just now,' Caroline said, interrupting Elena's thoughts by leaving a kiss on her forehead, 'I wouldn't want it to go all _Breaking_ _Dawn_ in here if I was to stick around after Damon turns up which I'm sure will be real soon Elena, don't worry.'

'Thank you Caroline.'

The blonde vampire picked up her bag and went to wait outside. Jenna moved towards the bed and brushed Elena's hair away from her face, gently tying it into a messy bun on top of her head to keep her cool.

'Bonnie, can you go find Damon and Alaric; they should be here by now. You have my full permission to give him a full blown aneurysm if need be, but just get him to me please...' she held Bonnie's hand and gripped her tightly, hoping her best friend kept the same composure she had since their reconciliation at the wedding, '...I need him.'

Bonnie had no other response for Elena's pleas for her assistance but to nod and make her way out to the hall and go find the vampire, hoping he wasn't going to go from MIA to KIA if he didn't get there in time.

'Don't leave me alone Jenna, please?'

'Elena I'm not going anywhere ok, now just try to relax and remember your breathing ok?'

Elena glared at her aunt.

'Relax? I'm about to push a baby out of my...'

'STOP! There's no need to be so graphic, I saw _Knocked_ _Up_, I know what happens! So just...do your thing ok?'

Jenna was sending her back a determined look of _you can do this_ which Elena somewhat doubted but given she wasn't about to be able to run for the door and forget this was happening she had no choice but to try to believe it.

'Oh god, here comes another one...' she panted, gripping firmly on the side of the bed.

Elena also didn't miss the look of _oh great!_ that was now fixed on Jenna's face, not caring at all when that changed to a look of severe discomfort as Elena then grabbed her aunt's left hand and gripped on tightly.

* * *

Damon was rushing through corridor after corridor trying to find the Labour wards within the hospital, annoyed at how he couldn't seem to remember considering all of their visits for pre-natal checks. Ric was thankful the vampire didn't just blur his way through the halls, giving him at least a chance of keeping up with him. As they finally reached the right floor of the hospital, Ric tried to make conversation with Damon, when really he should have known better.

'I can't believe this is happening today of all days. It's Jenna and I's 1 year anniversary.'

'And I should care _why_?' replied Damon, not even bothering to look behind him as he continued to stride down the long corridor. Seriously, how big was this friggin hospital?

'Well we were going out for dinner tonight, I was gonna propose to her today. Bought a ring and everything. You're kind of stealing my thunder, man.'

Alaric had meant it to sound like a joke, but predictably to almost every other human being on the planet except the Teacher, Damon was in no mood for jokes.

'Oh I'm sorry that the birth of my child, your niece or nephew come step grandchild is so inconvenient for you _Grandad_! Shall I go in there and tell my wife, who is in _labour_, to just keep her legs shut so you can get laid? Would that be more _convenient_ for you?'

Damon had stopped and turned to face him in order to deliver his little speech before turning around and continuing to race down the hall. Ric followed after him and made an even bigger error of muttering under his breath.

'Someone should have told her _that_ nine months ago.'

Ric looked up just in time to see Damon's fist flying towards him, but could do nothing to prevent the impact square on his jaw and ended up flying ten feet backwards, almost knocking over Jeremy who had just struggled to make it around the corner in his slowly-sobering-up state.

'Hey hey, what's going on here?'

Damon looked up to find Bonnie glaring at him with that knowing look in her eyes that, under normal circumstances, would have him reaching for a box of painkillers, but today he paid no mind to her threats, he just wanted to get to Elena.

'Where is she Bonnie? Is she ok?'

Bonnie's glare softened as she could see the agitated look on Damon's face was not one of anger, but of fear. She noted that Ric was now back on his feet courtesy of Jeremy's assistance this time and nodded back towards Damon.

'She's fine and through there,' pointing at the room behind her, 'although she did break a few of Caroline's fingers so I'm guessing she's in a lot of pain.'

Damon tried to move quickly past Bonnie but was stopped by Caroline who had appeared from apparently out of nowhere.

'Oh no, you're going to sit there and calm down first. She's in there with her doctor and Jenna just now anyway. It's probably best if you don't just go barging in.'

'Caroline, _move_.'

The standoff between the vampires in the waiting area outside Elena's room was thankfully out of eyesight of any other hospital staff, but the human onlookers were on edge that things were about to escalate. And they were right.

'Make me,' was Caroline's challenge and as Damon tried again to move past her, Caroline brought her knee up hard into Damon's groin, causing him to drop to the floor in agony.

'_That's_ for my broken fingers. Thanks to you and your supernatural _little swimmers _I'm going to have to get my manicure re-done as soon as we're done here. Now take a seat Damon.'

Bonnie couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the sight of Damon rolling around on the floor clutching the crotch of his jeans, before helping Ric and Jeremy get him into a seat.

'For the love of god Caroline...' was all Damon could breath out looking up at her with a look that he wished would turn her grey. Bonnie spotted the look and patted his shoulder in some attempt at sympathy.

'Stop being a baby Damon, Elena's dealing with a lot worse pain in there right now, so you just sit there and I'll go tell her you're here. I'll come get you as soon as possible.'

As she turned to walk back into Elena's room she saw Caroline take a seat next to Damon, flashing him a devious and fulfilled grin at having outsmarted her sire. Satisfied the raven haired vampire wasn't about to follow her inside, she knocked on the door and went inside to tell Elena that her husband was finally there.

'_Worse pain?_ That's debatable,' Damon grumbled, sending another murderous glance at the blonde vampire sitting beside him.

* * *

_Ah poor Damon. So let's see if babba Salvatore is going to make his or her entrance in the next chapter, which I have a feeling will make you all very happy!_

_Much love, Ave x_


	22. Chapter 22

**Title:** He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **Hmm...I hope you're going to like this one. And that's all I'm going to say on the matter except that I hope that you do enjoy the chapter and some of the decisions I made with it.

Thank you everyone for continuing to read and review (check it – I'm only 20 reviews away from the big 500!) You are all so amazing. Also want to say thanks to all the readers who have subscribed to alerts for this fic. They mean just as much as the reviews.

I want to say a special thanks to Alli, BadBoysAreBest, ShadyLady21, LastDayofMagic & of course my wonderful Rika. You've all been such wonderful encouragers of this fic, especially Rika, the best beta a girl could hope for. This chapter is for you!

Thank you all.

Ave x

* * *

After what seemed like a lifetime, Bonnie finally returned with Jenna to let Damon know that he could go in to see Elena. About time too – he was seconds away from putting Caroline through the nearest wall.

'Are you ok?'

His wife's question was so typical, caring about what was wrong with _him_ despite the fact she was lying there in obvious discomfort. Thankfully the doctor decided to leave them on their own for a moment, giving Damon time to get accustomed to the room, the monitors and the unmistakably _clean_ smell that made him want to gag.

'I haven't had a good day,' he replied, taking a seat beside the bed and wiping the sweat from her brow with a towel left on the bedside table.

'I heard you punched Ric,' it wasn't a question but he groaned anyway, feeling the need to reply to Elena.

'Ok, admittedly, _his_ day was worse...' he mumbled, holding her hand and allowing the other to push a stray strand of hair behind her ear. He could see how worried she was by the way her eyes never left his.

'Look, I'm sorry Elena, I'm on edge. I'll apologize to Ric – it's just...well this wasn't supposed to happen for another four weeks! Talk about being thrown in the deep end.'

Elena sighed and held his hand a little bit tighter, 'I know, it came as a shock to me too.'

'Are you ok? I mean, apart from the pain, is everything...' he paused trying to think of the right word, before giving up and settling for one he hated and longed for at the same time, '...normal? You know, with the baby?'

Elena nodded, rubbing her free hand across her swollen stomach.

'According to the doctor everything is fine. He or she is a little small, but four weeks premature isn't the worst thing in the world.'

Damon looked decidedly unsure of whether he should believe her, something she clearly picked up on.

'Honestly Damon, it will all be ok. I'm just glad you're finally here.'

'I told you I'd be here didn't I? Have I ever let you down before?'

Elena frowned at him before clutching his hand again, letting out a painfully low scream as he reconsidered his previous question, 'Ok, don't answer that.'

The very fact that this was happening was completely ridiculous. He was a vampire for Christ's sake, being a father was not supposed to be part of the deal. He could barely make a human connection with the adults in his life, never mind a baby. Would he be able to do it? It was all he'd been thinking about for days. But he was dragged back to reality with a loud wail and a hand clenched around his wrist.

The doctor had returned by this point and had her head stuck firmly up Elena's hospital gown taking a good peek at her downstairs. He had to do a double take at the sight before focusing his attention back up to his wife.

'Come on Elena, just breathe you're doing so good.'

He wished he hadn't opened his mouth when Elena latched on to his attempt at encouragement.

'How about we switch places and see if you'd do just as good huh? God you're such a condescending ass sometimes.'

He'd predicted he was in for some harsh treatment after hearing about Caroline's experience with Elena in the back of Jenna's car, so he was mildly prepared for the insults.

'Yes I'm an ass, but I'm your ass and don't forget you wanted me here so just let me help, ok?'

Elena could only nod as another contraction tightened around her causing her to whine loudly and cling onto him.

'God, um Elena, that's my hand…that's my hand! Jesus Christ woman!'

She kept her grip despite him trying to shake her free, convinced that she'd broken several of the bones in his hand. No wonder Caroline was pissed at him. That shit was painful.

'Make it stop, please! Damon, do something!'

'Like what?'

'Take my necklace off,' she whispered, hoping the doctor was paying more attention to her birth canal than the conversation, 'compel me to forget the pain.'

Damon groaned at her request, having hoped she wouldn't bring that idea into the equation. He'd do anything to take the pain away, anything but that.

'Elena you know I can't do that. It wouldn't be right.'

His eyes were begging her to understand the predicament she was putting him in, but she simply continued to writhe in agony as she growled out her threats.

'I swear to God Damon Salvatore I'm going to kill you when I'm done here. I'm going...to..._fucking_...kill you!'

She had him by the collar of his t-shirt and he really wasn't in any position to do anything other than apologise.

'Ok, Ok, I'm sorry, please just…stay calm Elena; you need to start pushing ok?'

'I believe that's my line Mr. Salvatore,' the doctor growled at him before looking up to Elena from under the hospital gown, 'but he's right Elena, this is going to happen much quicker than you or I expected. You're fully dilated now so I need you to work with your contractions and push for me when you feel the urge ok?'

Elena turned on her side to face Damon who was sitting right beside the bed, brushing the strands of hair away from her sweat-laced forehead.

'I can't do it. It hurts too much. You do it for me,' she pleaded with her puppy dog eyes which usually made him cave to her demands. But they usually only extended to getting her ice-cream at three in the morning, or watching some chick flick over action thrillers at the movies. Giving birth? That was a completely different ballgame. But a sarcastic comment about his lack of certain body parts, nor the desire to put _himself_ through such physical pain would not go down well at this particular stage of the proceedings. So he settled with being honest.

'If I could do this for you Elena, you know I would, but I can't. You're doing great, and it'll all be over soon. Remember, I promised it would all be ok?'

He smiled and kissed her forehead as she gripped his hands all too tightly again as he felt her push with every muscle in her body. He could hear how quick the blood was pumping through her veins. It never failed to amaze him how strong she was for someone so young, especially given the death grip she had on both of his hands at this point.

He never thought that a girl could scream so loudly for what seemed like hours, and he'd been around his fair share of screamers for one reason or another. Although frankly, he was surprised that she didn't pass out with how painful giving birth must be. So maybe it _was_ on a par with someone kicking a guy in his crown jewels, but since nobody would ever really be able to compare notes on that one, he gave up trying to decide which one was more painful.

About ten minutes later the doctor looked up to Elena to let her know that the main event was about to start.

'Ok, I can see the head. Keep going Elena, you're doing great,' encouraged her doctor before turning her attention to Damon, 'Do you want to take a look Mr. Salvatore?'

'Really…really _not_, I'm good with staying up this end thanks. No offence,' he added almost as an afterthought to his wife puffing away beside him.

'None…taken!' Elena screamed as she pushed again, wondering just how Damon was able to exercise his control in this no doubt extremely bloody situation.

Damon swore she's broken the bones in his other hand now. The beads of sweat were rolling down his forehead – but they were nothing compared to how worn out and shattered his wife looked.

'There has to be an easier way to do this!' she groaned again.

'There is,' he mumbled, mulling over her statement, 'it's called adopting.'

'That was a rhetorical question Damon. I swear to God when I'm done pushing out your kid, and when I've….' She paused again to scream even louder, '…had a shower, I'm going to make sure you never inflict this on me ever again!'

'Well considering we never thought we'd even have one I think we'll take this kid and be thankful huh?'

'Sounds good to…_me_!' was her strangled cry as Damon held on to her even tighter, rubbing circles into her back as she panted and gasped her way through labour.

'Ok, Elena you're almost there, one more big push and you're done.'

'I can't,' was all she managed to force out, throwing herself back against the pillow, turning to Damon, 'I can't push anymore, I can't.'

'Elena you're going to have to push harder,' the doctor complained and Damon was completely pissed off at how insensitive she was being, 'the baby's heart rate is slowing slightly and we need to get this baby out of you sooner rather than later ok? Come on Elena.'

'I'm sorry I can't,' Elena wailed loudly in defeat. It was so much harder for Damon to watch her in so much agony, his pathetic _you can do it's_ doing nothing to help the situation.

'You have to try Elena, just one more push. One big push and your baby will be here.'

Elena gripped her arm under Damon's and pulled down on his shoulder, bracing herself against him and letting out one almighty scream that was followed by one loud, piercing squeal as she struggled to catch her breath.

'Well done Elena!' cried the doctor, before pulling the crying baby from under her gown, 'Congratulations – you have a son.'

'Oh my god, he's so small,' Elena sobbed, finding the strength to sit up to look at her very tiny, but very perfect son – something which really wasn't a surprise considering how petite she had been all the way through her pregnancy and the fact the little boy was four weeks early.

'I have a son,' were the only words Damon could get out as he gave in to the tears and took in the sight of his baby boy that he never thought he was going to see. He could barely believe it as he watched the doctor and the other nurse wrap him in a blanket.

'Wait, where are they taking him? Damon…'

'Relax Elena, they're just cleaning him a little before bringing him back to us.'

'Well be careful,' she hollered across the room at the bitchy doctor who told her she wasn't pushing hard enough, 'he's really small!'

'He is small, but he's a solid 5 and a half pounds, breathing fine and with a healthy heartbeat, so you have nothing to worry about. No need for an incubator either,' the midwife replied, handing Elena her son in a swath of blankets as he continued to wail, stopping only when he opened his eyes and looked up at his mother.

'Oh wow.'

The sight of her son staring so openly up at her caused the breath to catch in her throat as she struggled with the intake of air.

'I'm so pleased you're finally here,' she murmured as she swept her finger across his wrinkled forehead and looked up at her husband who couldn't take his eyes off his son. 'I can't believe he's finally here.'

'You did good Elena, you did so good.'

Standing over her, Damon was awash with a sense of pride he'd never felt before.

'No, _we_ did good. Look at him Damon, he has your eyes.'

He smiled at this, knowing that this particular fact had made Elena's day, considering how she had gone on endlessly for months about their kid having his eyes. But it didn't matter to him, as long as the baby was healthy and _had_ eyes in the first place.

She moved over slightly in the bed so he could climb up, carefully stretching his right arm out behind Elena's shoulders, his fingers lightly touching his son's head as he lay contently in his mother's arms. Having a child, although something he never imagined to be possible, suddenly felt like the most perfect, and right thing in the world.

* * *

When the rest of the entourage were allowed in to visit, they found the three of them in almost the exact same position, only this time Damon was lying on the bed beside his wife with his son nestled in _his_ arms, with his legs crossed looking extremely comfortable. Both parents barely took their eyes off their son for a second to acknowledge the arrivals.

'Oh let me see!'

Jenna practically ran over to the bed for a look at the newest member of the family and met her niece's eyes filled with tears of her own. 'Oh wow, doesn't he look just like his daddy?'

'Yep, he's beautiful alright.'

Jenna gave Damon a bemused look, yet couldn't help but laugh as he was right, the little boy was a beautiful mix of his parents; from the barely there, dark mop of hair, to the startlingly blue eyes with the longest little eyelashes – he was the perfect blend of Elena and Damon.

'I never understood why people always say that about babies, '_oh he looks just like his mom_' or '_oh he has his daddy's eyes._' Ric mused, 'I mean to me all babies look like Bruce Willis – bald and with lots of wrinkles.'

'Hey watch it, that's my son you're talking about, Grandad' was Damon's warning.

'You can drop the Grandad insults right now,' growled Ric, 'Uncle Ric will do just fine.'

'So, the little man got a name then?' inquired Jeremy, who thankfully looked a darned sight more sober than the last time Damon had clapped eyes on him, 'I can't keep calling my nephew, baby Salvatore now can I?'

Elena smiled openly at her brother and nodded, 'We have. Everyone meet Leo Alexander Salvatore.'

'That's just perfect,' Jenna murmured, drawing a finger across the little boys forehead, 'Alexander after your mom and I's dad? Your grandpa?'

Elena nodded, 'and Leo after Damon's great grandfather.'

Damon looked slightly embarrassed yet pleased at the reaction from the company in the room. He was willing to bet they didn't even think a monster like him would have any family in his past he would be willing to name his son after. But he didn't care; he had his own family, in the here and now.

'Ok, how about we maybe get a hold of this little one and then we can get out of your hair.'

Jenna couldn't stop smiling like mad as she hugged Ric tightly to her, wondering if it wouldn't be so bad after all to think about having children with him in the future – not if at the end of all the pain you get to keep something so precious like the little one lying in Damon's arms.

'I agree, here, can I get to hold him first?'

Just as Elena reached up to take the child from her husband's arms to hand him over to Ric, Damon gently pushed her back down and held Leo closer to him, almost protectively.

'Oh no no no no, I don't thinks so butterfingers.'

The entire room stared at Damon like he'd lost his marbles and he realized that an explanation was required for his over-protective reaction. 'He's a dropper.'

The rest of the room simply 'oh'd' at the explanation as Ric looked completely perplexed like he had no idea what he's talking about. 'No I'm not!' He retorted indignantly.

'Are too Teacher. So you can just take a seat until you've passed the test.'

Damon looked completely serious and Ric just even more perplexed than before.

'What test?' he complained all a little too loudly, eliciting a chorus of 'shh's' from the women in the group, all of them pointing to the sleeping baby in his _best friend's_ arms.

'This test,' Damon responds and with his free arm he threw the stress ball that Elena had brought with her to the hospital in her labour bag to grip onto for the pain. Ric was quick to react, going long before promptly catching it, beaming a proud smile only to trip over his shoelaces letting the stress ball thud to the floor – thus eliciting a loud gasp from the rest of the group.

'That's a stupid test, I'm not going to drop Leo.'

'Sorry baby but you _are_ a dropper,' consoled Jenna before moving over to take Leo from his father's arms.

'Coming from the person who dropped Elena on her first birthday!'

'I did not!' Jenna looked mortified at her boyfriend bringing up such an incident she had revealed to him in a drunken haze, in front of _said niece_ nonetheless, turning to Elena and trying to plead her case, 'I swear I didn't Elena.'

'Did too!' Jeremy responded almost like a petulant child, 'Head first into the paddling pool if I remember correctly from what my mom told me.'

'So what do you say Jeremy, do you want to hold your nephew?'

'Really? You don't think I'll drop him.'

Jeremy looked unsure as he stared at his brother-in-law.

'Apart from getting you out of that pit of a room you've holed yourself up in, what do you think all those weeks of throwing that football about in the back yard has been all about? You passed the test a hundred times over, and I should add that if the thought didn't freak me out so much I'd say you could have a career as a wide receiver.'

Damon beamed openly as he passed his son into his brother-in-laws arms. Now that Leo was finally here, all Damon had to do was figure out how to get through the next eighteen years of his life and he'd totally have this being a dad thing down to an art.

* * *

_So there we go, little Leo Salvatore is with us. I hope you aren't disappointed I decided to make the baby a little boy. I know some of you sent me reviews or PMs about it being a little girl with an overly protective Damon as a dad but I kind of have that going on in Lineage, my other fic so I decided to make the babba this time a little boy._

_And as for the birthing scene I must confess I think there are one or two lines in there that aren't my own – please blame the E4 channel in the UK for screening constant repeats of Friends. I hope you don't flame me too much for that._

_So anyways, what do you all think? I'm dying to know. I usually don't beg for reviews but it would be so nice to hear from you as I feel this is the first of my fics I've actually achieved something with, i.e. getting to the point of the story!_

_But either way, thanks for reading!_

_Ave x_


	23. Chapter 23

**Title:** He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **So thank you all for the amazing reviews and I'm so sorry for making you wait for this update. I wish I had a better excuse other than not having a clue where to go next.

Now I think there will be one more chapter to this story, but rest assured, I have decided to do a sequel of young Leo growing up and the trials Damon & Elena will face as new parents – so I hope you will join my journey with that too.

One final thing I should say is that Caroline is in this chapter, don't ask me why, she appeared out of nowhere and somehow wouldn't leave until I wrote her in. Now even if you don't like her character please stick through to the end, I think you'll like the Delena scene at the end. I hope anyway.

This chapter is un-beta'd so all mistakes are my own, I hope it's still readable!

Ave x

* * *

Damon shut off the engine and went around to the passenger side door. He clicked the travel seat out of the holder, careful not to wake his son before opening the rear door to help Elena out.

'Home sweet home.'

Elena looked up to smile at him, still feeling distinctly tender at having given birth only a few days prior. But looking at Leo sleeping peacefully in his carrier she knew it was completely worth the pain.

'It's good to be home,' she agreed, 'although I have no idea what to do with myself now.'

'I'm sure when he wakes up and starts screaming the house down you'll have plenty to keep you occupied,' he commented without really thinking.

Elena gave him a stern look as they reached the front door causing him to rethink his previous statement.

'I mean, _we'll_ have plenty to keep _us_ occupied.'

'That's better,' she smiled, satisfied.

Before they could even get the key in the door, it opened before them and Jeremy appeared in front of them.

'Hey, you're here.'

'No Jeremy we're a figment of your imagination,' drawled Damon in his irritated sarcastic tone, struggling with holding his son in one hand and Elena in the other, 'you can make yourself useful and bring in the rest of the bags from the car.'

'Yeah and when you get back, you can explain that black eye you're sporting,' Elena added after noticing the distinctly purple circle around his left eye, turning back to Damon, 'honestly, you would think I have enough to worry about right now without Jeremy getting into trouble.'

Damon placed the carrier down on the floor before gently lifting Leo out and into his arms, successfully managing to avoid waking him.

'Well just keep your nagging to a low volume, I kind of like when our son is asleep and not wailing like a banshee. I thought my head was going to explode earlier in the hospital. Kid's got a set of lungs on him alright.'

Elena rolled her eyes at her husband and waited for Jeremy to return.

'So?' she asked him, not even letting him put down the bags and take a seat, 'out with it.'

Jeremy sighed and managed to rid himself of the bags.

'It was after I left you at the hospital last night, I was trying to be polite and make conversation with a woman in the waiting room as I waited to give Bonnie a lift home. All I did was ask the woman when she her baby was due – turns out she wasn't pregnant.'

Damon struggled to hold in his snigger as Elena shook her head at her brother's stupidity.

'Yes I know I was an idiot, so spare me the mocking please. Now that you're home and I've served some meaningful purpose I'm going to head over to see Jenna and Ric. I'll see you guys later.'

And with that Jeremy left, nodding a hello to Caroline who came strolling in the front door. She walked in to find Damon sitting on the couch with Leo sleeping away soundly tucked in the crook of his arm. Elena was looking on smiling fondly as she unpacked one of the bags.

'Greetings, oh isn't that so cute? Damon you almost look normal! A proper doting daddy,' she teased as Damon rolled his eyes, 'Elena on the other hand, well you just look exhausted.'

Elena gave up unpacking and flopped down on an armchair.

'Yeah thanks for that Caroline – you would look like crap too if you were up three times during the night dealing with a hungry baby and aching boobs. I don't get it, he's so tiny, where does he put it all?'

It was Damon that noticed the uncomfortable look on Caroline's face as she sat down on the other end of the couch, mumbling a _sorry_ just loud enough for Elena to hear.

'Why don't you go upstairs for a lie down? You know what they say, when he's sleeping so should you.' Elena looked on at Damon, unsure if she should leave her son's side, but he wouldn't take no for an answer, 'Go on, he'll be awake soon enough Elena.'

Elena nodded tiredly at her husband and made her way upstairs to their bedroom, giving Leo a kiss on his forehead as she went.

'Thank you for that.'

'For what?' Damon replied, not taking his eyes off his son sleeping in his arms to answer the blonde vampire.

'For realising how hard that was for me to hear.'

'I don't follow,' was his unconvincing response, now looking up at Caroline and feigning his indifference.

'You're a terrible liar Damon. You know that i'll never have my own children, and Elena reminding me that I won't even get the chance to look worn down from taking care of my own was...well it was just hard. Not that I expect you to care.'

Caroline watched as Damon looked back at her without giving any indication of what he was thinking.

'You know what? Just ignore me,' she prattled nervously, instead waving her longing off to plaster a smile across her face.

'You're welcome,' he offered genuinely after a moment or two watching her try to pretend nothing had happened.

She let the fake smile falter a little, shifting her focus to the sleeping baby.

'He really is beautiful Damon, I know everyone says that about babies, but he's perfect. I know it's wrong but I am so jealous of you both it's painful,' she stated honestly.

'I'm not usually the understanding type but I think given your situation, jealousy is forgivable Caroline.'

Sheepish was a look she had down to an art but she tried desperately not to show it this time.

'Here, you didn't get to hold him in the hospital.'

Caroline had no time to react when Damon thrust the baby into her arms, as she tried to recoil from being cornered into holding him.

'No Damon I...'

'Relax Blondie, you're a vampire, you're not going to drop him. And he can tell when you're tense. If he wakes up and starts screaming again because you can't loosen up I swear to God I will stake you. Took me forever to get him to fall asleep.'

'I'm already worried you'll stake me if I can't keep my bloodlust under control.'

Damon tensed himself wondering if it was a bad idea handing his son over to the exceptionally young vampire. But he remembered how Caroline's caring nature in the end had helped her endlessly at being able to stay in control.

'You won't hurt him, it's practically an unwritten rule that we don't feed from the young. But you're right, you'd be dead before you got the chance.'

It was a hollow threat but a threat nonetheless.

'I could never harm anything so small and innocent,' she murmured, realising Damon was right, 'like I said he's perfect.'

Damon cursed the fact that now he'd given himself over to caring as moments like this now pulled on his un-beating heartstrings. Sure the girl was annoying and self-centred most of the time, but since she turned she had always stepped up to the plate, trying to accept what she was and make the most of it – plus she could valiantly attempt to kick his ass if she wanted to, but he wouldn't wish the curse of _never_ having children on anyone. Especially now he had something _he_ never thought he would have.

'Of course he's perfect, he gets that from me.'

Damon's attempt at humorous self-appreciation allowed Caroline the opportunity to smile genuinely for the first time since being left alone with him.

'I'm sure Elena would have something to say about that,' she eyed him dubiously, before something caught her attention courtesy of her heightened vampire sense of smell, as the baby in her arms started to wake up with an uncomfortable wriggle, 'oh god that stinks, I think he needs a diaper change.'

She leaned over to offer Leo back to his father who recoiled away from her.

'Uh, I'll go get Elena,' as he went to move out of the room.

'Don't you dare, she needs to sleep. You do it.'

Damon wrinkled his nose at the very thought, clearly able to smell the offending diaper from across the room.

'No I really should go get Elena, those diapers are toxic and I wouldn't want to pass out from the stink. You know, strong sense of smell and all.'

Caroline rolled her eyes and shook her head.

'Forget it, i'll do it,' she said as she managed to hold the baby tightly to her and fish out the diapers from the changing bag, 'He's your son, you should want to change his diaper Damon. God why are men so consistently useless?'

'Why are women so consistently irrational?' Damon ground out, looking pissed as he laid out the changing mat on the coffee table and pulled out the wipes from the bag, 'who would _want_ to change a diaper?'

Caroline set to work as Damon looked on, feeling sick as the whiff from the diaper got worse.

'That doesn't look right – is it supposed to be green?' he asked wondering if his kid's poo was the same colour as he felt his face was right now.

'Relax, it's totally normal in the first few days,' she answered as she removed the diaper and cleaned him up, 'honestly Damon, did you read any of those books I sent you?'

Damon shrugged, remembering getting to the part in one book about the birth before sending it flying across the room in horror and proceeding to pour himself a very stiff drink. But he looked on in wonder as Caroline tickled Leo's nose eliciting a soft sound from the baby and a smile from the blonde vampire.

As Caroline finished taping the fresh diaper to the newborn, Damon resolved that next time he'd man up enough to do it himself.

'Thank you,' he sighed in appreciation as Caroline handed the little boy back to him, 'this never happened ok?'

'I guess not, wouldn't want to harm that badass reputation of yours,' replied Caroline as she wiped down her hands and picked up her handbag, 'you'll get the hang of it soon enough.'

She went to leave but Damon called over to her, quietly so not to startle Leo.

'You're welcome here anytime Caroline.'

She stopped to look back at him, surprised at receiving the open invitation.

'I mean it – now I've realised you're not totally incompetent at looking after him I'll happily take full advantage of your diaper-changing skills.'

'And that's supposed to make me want to come over and visit? That's twisted Damon,' she laughed, 'but thank you, and tell Elena i'll come back to see her when she's feeling a bit more like herself.'

Damon nodded, 'I will.'

And with that he was alone with his boy.

'Well kid, it's just me and you for now. What you want to do huh?'

He was sitting down with Leo lying on the top of his legs, Damon's hands supporting the baby's head. Leo took one last look at his dad before yawning and fluttering his eyes closed.

'So it's like that is it? I'm not supposed to be the boring and embarrassing parent until you're at least thirteen, but that's fine...'

He moved backwards and lay down on the couch, placing Leo on his chest gently.

'...if you're going to sleep then I might as well get some shut eye too. No doubt i'll be up all night with your ear-splitting crying anyways.'

He placed a kiss on the top of Leo's head before closing his own eyes, content with the trivial weight balancing on his chest.

* * *

Damon woke up in a full blown panic at feeling that trivial weight being lifted from his chest, ready to rip the head off the culprit, only to find Elena sitting at the end of the couch cradling Leo in her arms, clearly unaffected by Damon's guttural moan as he woke.

'Elena don't do that! I could have killed you!'

'Now who's the overprotective parent?' she laughed, walking her fingers up Leo's chest to tickle him.

Damon groaned as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and settled himself down next to Elena, with his arm over her shoulders.

'Someone tries to take my kid away from me and me getting a bit angry about it is being overprotective? Ok let's see how you handle him eventually going to college huh?'

'Face it Damon, you overreacted, I'm his mother for heaven's sake' she teased, moving Leo, now fully awake, from under one arm to another, 'and let's not talk about the college thing just yet. I have that to think about for myself before I let this little one go wandering half way across the country on his own.'

Damon tried incredibly hard not to openly rejoice at the fact that Elena seemed to be coming around to the idea of going to college and not having Leo attached to her hip twenty four seven. So instead he decided to try some reverse psychology.

'You know, I've been thinking about that, you going to college – maybe it's not such a bad idea to be a stay at home mom after all. I mean, I've seen Girls Gone Wild: College Girls Exposed...'

'Damon...' she warned tentatively.

'...what? I'm just saying.'

Secretly, Damon would _love_ to see his wife go all wild on him, hell he'd _pay_ to see that. But as it was already August, it was another few months yet before Elena had to consider going to college and make her choice, he wouldn't even object to her putting it off for another couple of years yet until Leo was a bit older. So long as she _did_ go.

'Why don't we just worry about getting used to being a family?' she suggested, gently moving the baby into Damon's arms, 'I mean, I don't know about you but as scared as I was about the birth and what comes next, he kind of seems worth it doesn't he?'

'Well he was, until I witnessed the radioactive crap in his diapers. The smell almost killed me.'

Elena laughed softly so not to startle her son.

'Wait you changed his diaper? Yourself?'

Damon really wanted to take the credit, but knew that although Caroline swore to keep the secret, that somehow it would make its way back to Elena.

'Well no, Caroline did – I suppose you could say I..._observed_,' was the most tactful thing he could think of to describe standing there holding his nose and screwing his eyes shut at the sight.

'You let her change Leo's diaper?' she asked with a strange look on her face that he couldn't figure out until she elaborated, 'you barely let the nurses at the hospital near him.'

'He's precious goods Elena, I wasn't going to let any Tom, Dick or so it happened to be _Audrey_ get their hands on him. I was perfectly capable of giving my own son a bath.'

Elena's eyebrows were the biggest indicator that she didn't believe there was any way of Damon being able to get out of her insinuations that he was the more overprotective parent out of the two of them.

'Uh-huh...'

'Besides,' he continued, trying to rescue himself from the situation, 'Caroline knew what she was doing. If you must know, at the time I felt sorry for her. The entire situation must have been temporary insanity.'

That was what he would put down those feelings to. Damon didn't care about anyone except for Leo and Elena.

'Temporary insanity? Really Damon?' she asked, smiling as Leo gripped onto her pinky as she leaned closer to Damon to play with him.

'I don't know, she just...well, she's never going to have kids is she? I know what that feels like and for once I tried to be the good guy. And you reminding her that she probably won't get the chance to deal with a screaming baby in the middle of the night probably didn't help.'

Damon was trying to stop the little one in his arms from wriggling so much, terrified that if he used too much strength he'd break the kid's bones and he really didn't need to worry about child services poking their noses in after a visit to the hospital. He didn't notice the mortified look on Elena's face until she spoke.

'Oh god, I was a bitch to her. I didn't think.'

'Elena relax, she knows you didn't mean it. It's just hard on her that's all.'

'See there you go caring again Damon, are you sure you're not coming down with something?' joked Elena, highly amused at the impact fatherhood had already had on Damon's nature.

'Very amusing, I guess I'm really just a great, big softie at heart huh? I mean, I look at Leo and he looks back at me with those entirely innocent eyes, and...you know what? It pathetically makes my day. And if you tell anyone that I think I might die of the shame.'

The look Elena was giving him, like his confession was the cutest and most amazing thing she'd ever heard in her hormonal, girly lifetime, made him want to hurl and decided a quick change of subject was required.

'Here, time to get _them_ out – the kid's getting hungry,' Damon replied crudely, before handing Leo over to her, making an educated guess that his son was so agitated because he wanted fed, 'honestly, my son's getting more action that I will be for a while I'm sure.'

'That's just wrong on so many levels Damon.'

But Elena couldn't help but snort at Damon's lewd references to her breastfeeding. The normality of the situation, the _family_ she had in her fingertips was far too precious to her to ignore. And she intended to grasp it tightly with everything she had.

'You love it really, it's all part of my charm.'

'I love _you_, not your _charm_,' she protested, moving to accommodate the tiny baby in her arms under her breast.

'Liar,' she heard him murmur as he gently moved a cushion behind her to make them more comfortable, 'and one of these days, our son will be every bit as charming as his father – I'll make sure of it.'

'So long as he doesn't use that 'charm' to get to second base that's fine with me,' Elena smiled as she felt Damon's eyes on her as she fed their son, not feeling in any way intimidated or shy about the act.

'Sorry to inform you but generally that's the effect of the Salvatore charm – weren't you the girl who put out without me even having to buy dinner the first time we slept together?'

Elena managed to slap Damon, albeit with little power behind it, with her free arm.

'Hey, that's not fair. It had nothing to do with your _charm_ as you put it. A girl has needs you know.'

'You mean you used me?' he replied, feigning shock and indignation.

'Not necessarily, but I refuse to believe I am just one in a list of likely thousands of names to fall for that ridiculous patter you refer to as your charm.'

Elena felt his fingers wrap around her free hand to twist her wedding band around her finger and his head rest on her shoulder.

'You could never be anything other than the woman I love, the mother to my child _and_...the best sex I've ever had.'

Elena sighed as she pulled Leo away from her breast and readjusted her top, before pulling her husband down to her lips.

'You and your goddamn charm,' she murmured as she let him kiss her again and again.

* * *

_But no, they didn't have sex after that! Come on, she'd just given birth a couple of days ago!_

_And there you have it, the family is home. Like I said, one more chapter then done. But, I'm taking suggestions on this. My own idea for the last chapter was Damon & Elena going on a date about eight weeks or so after Leo's birth, you know, trying to get back to normal. Maybe Jenna & Ric could babysit etc. But I want your honest opinions and if you have any better ideas I'm all for it._

_Just review with your suggestions!_

_Thanks again for reading, I appreciate it so much and if you can find the time even to leave a one word review I'd appreciate it even more!_

_Ave x_


	24. Chapter 24

**Title: **He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **Haha, yeah, ok I suck. I seriously suck. It's been what? 6 weeks since I last updated? I'm so sorry. Work has kicked my ass this month, along with Christmas and being ridiculously ill for the last 3 weeks which I had not anticipated.

However, here is the penultimate chapter. There is only going to be one more after this and then complete! This chapter is 'date night' and to be honest, is just a random excuse to get some good old fashioned Delena time. I will do a sequel but I plan to finish my other fic 'Lineage' first.

Thank you for all the reviews and alerts. They mean the world to me and I have tried to reply to them all. If you could all keep telling me what you think, I promise (and if I don't you can all leave me a stinker of a review) to have the next chapter up by oh, say…_Monday_ night?

Finally, I want to say a huge thanks to my fantastic and wonderful Rika. She has beta'd this for me after returning to Germany. I was lucky enough to meet her in person for real and she is just as crazy and amazing as I thought she'd be. So whatever else the TVD fandom has given us (Damon Salvatore anyone?) it has also given me the chance to meet people I will hopefully never forget.

Thank you all.

Ave x

* * *

'I'm completely serious Damon; we're going on a date tonight. That's what people in a relationship do, and that's the end of it.'

Damon groaned as he watched Elena stomp her way up the Boarding House staircase. Ever since she'd managed to get herself back into her favourite, pre-pregnancy pair of jeans she'd been going on and on about getting back to normal. And by normal, she meant having date night.

'We don't have a relationship,' he bellowed after her, 'we're married!'

He forgot altogether about the sleeping baby upstairs in the nursery next to their bedroom until he heard Elena's shrill voice come through the intercom on the baby monitor perched on the liquor cabinet where he had retreated.

'Well since you know everything, you should know when to shut the fuck up!' she hissed in a whisper, sounding like something not too far from Darth Vader, 'All your moaning and groaning is going to wake Leo.'

Damon groaned again and threw back a large brandy as Ric came strolling through the door and down into the parlour.

'If you're looking for trouble she just got her legs waxed. If you want to keep your head on your shoulders, I suggest that you stay down here with me,' he advised.

Ric sniggered as he poured himself a drink and sat down on the couch, taking his jacket off.

'What's the matter? PMS or something?' he teased, knowing Damon could quite easily snap his neck for such a comment, but happily twirled the Gilbert ring around his finger like some kind of security blanket.

'They only call it PMS because the term Mad Cow Disease was already taken. Honestly, she's been out riding that fucking bike all week. I've barely seen her at all.'

Ric shrugged his shoulders wondering just what kind of asshole his supposed best friend was turning into.

'So? She's riding the bike to get fit and lose the baby weight. I thought you'd be pleased for her.'

'Well yeah I know that; it's just…well I can't help wishing that I was the damn bike.'

Ric felt the last sip of the scotch he'd poured regurgitate in his throat and the distinct feeling he wanted to be sick.

'Oh no man, I'm not touching that one with a ten-foot pole,' he managed to force out indicating that was the end of that particular conversation, 'so what's really got you pissed?'

Damon poured himself another drink and slumped down in an armchair opposite his best friend.

'Elena wants to go out on a date tonight.'

'You know Damon, I know you're never really were the relationship _type_ but usually, when you go out on a date with oh I don't know, say your _wife_, if you play your cards right you might just actually get lucky. Is that so hard for you to understand?'

The fact of the matter was that Damon was not that happy about leaving his kid just yet so he groaned and tried to come up with some kind of excuse that wouldn't make him sound like a pathetic, overprotective parent.

'I've never been one to _understand_ why dinner should be pre-requisite to sex – and besides, Elena's just going to spend all evening being paranoid and on the phone to whichever Tom, Dick or Harry she asks to watch our son.'

Ric looked on and a sudden realization dawned on him which didn't go unnoticed by Damon.

'What? What is it?'

'Uh, I think you're looking at Tom…' Ric replied, the penny finally dropping as to why Jenna had told him not to make any plans for tonight. He was the idiot who thought it had meant that an evening of some good lovin' was in store. Instead, he was going to be playing babysitter so his vampire best friend could have _all_ the sex. Talk about taking one for the team.

'I think you're more along the lines of _Dick_ but seriously, I'm supposed to leave my son in your care? Over my dead body.'

Ric snorted into his glass.

'You _are_ dead, _dick_ – but fine, don't go out, face the wrath of Elena and wait even longer to get laid. Your choice.'

'Remind me why I'm even friends with you?'

Ric flipped him his middle finger with the Gilbert ring circling it.

'Because you can't kill me?'

Damon thought about that for a moment and shrugged before downing the rest of his bourbon, raising his empty glass at Ric to concede the discussion.

* * *

A few hours later, Elena was fussing with her hair whilst Damon was laying on the couch trying to get Leo to giggle or smile or...well anything that didn't resemble his mother's face before she rolled her eyes at him.

'Come on kid, I'm really trying here. Have some pity on your pathetic excuse for a father?' he pleaded as he raised Leo above his head pretending to throw and catch him but the baby wasn't taking the bait.

'Your son seems to have inherited my allergy to your attempts at smooth talking your way into getting what you want,' Elena laughed finally giving up on making her hair sit just right.

Thankfully the door bell rang and Elena made her way to greet their babysitters for the night while Damon shot her a bemused look from the couch.

'Come on, one smile for daddy before he has to go and leave you for a few hours? If I have to put up with your mom's incessant pleas to get drunk and do karaoke all night I at least deserve a little something to keep me going huh?'

'Karaoke is fun!' proclaimed Jenna as she strolled into the room with Ric towed closely behind, almost viciously shaking his head to agree with Damon that the idea of karaoke is most definitely not fun.

'Getting up and singing in front of a group of people is not my idea of fun – it's humiliating' responded Damon as he got up to greet his guests.

Jenna chose to ignore Damon completely instead making her way to lift Leo out of his arms.

'There's my favourite little guy, come to Aunt Jenna.'

And as soon as the baby was firmly in her arms he let out an almighty giggle and made a grab for a fistful of Jenna's hair.

'Oh sure, now you want to smile and laugh,' grumbled Damon as he watched on as his kid almost yanked a section of hair from Jenna's scalp.

'Jenna thank you so much for doing this for us both, I don't think I could take another night sitting on the couch watching _Interview with a Vampire_ and debating the differences between the book and the film. Come on, I'll show you where everything is.'

Elena's aunt tried to restrain her laughter before passing Leo over to Ric who looked at the baby like it had two heads, before following Elena into the Boarding House kitchen.

'What am I supposed to do with him?'

Damon looked back over his shoulder as he shrugged on his leather jacket to see his son mirror Ric's gormless and confused expression as if to ask why the hell his bubbly aunt had left him in the care of some moron. It amused Damon somewhat.

'I don't know, move around, talk to him...' the hell if he was going to talk Ric through acting _normal_ around a child, 'just do yourself a favour, stay away from discussions about politics or your extra-curricular activities – the first one will have him screaming like a banshee and the latter? Well Elena will have your teeth for a necklace if she catches you talking to our son about anything remotely supernatural.'

Damon turned to see Elena return to the room and paused for a moment to take in just how stunning she really was. For a woman who gave birth only two months ago, standing there dressed in those skinny tight jeans and lacy black top that made her breasts look so damn good, well he wondered why he'd put up such a fight about this date night.

'Come on hot stuff,' he drawled making his way over to her to help her with her jacket, 'let's go get dinner, do a little dance, make a little love and generally get down tonight.'

Elena's eye roll was nowhere near unexpected but he managed to placate her with a chaste kiss to her forehead.

'You,' he pointed at Ric, 'do not let my son out of your sight, and you,' changing the direction of his hand towards Jenna, ' do not let your _boyfriend_ out of _your_ sight. And no slipping him a few drops of wine in his bedtime bottle to get him to sleep. Are we all on the same page?'

Ric and Jenna stared at each other and back at Damon who was holding Elena back from making her way to the door. They shook their heads and said almost simultaneously, 'yes Damon.'

With a satisfied smirk he leaned over and ruffled the tiny crop of hair on his son's head before giving him a kiss goodnight, eliciting a muffled but audible chuckle of laughter and a smile to his father's immense delight.

'Now that's what I'm talking about! Elena?' he asked, grinning from ear to ear, 'shall we?'

'Absolutely,' matching his grin, Elena tugged on his hand as they finally made their way to the door before stopping short of stepping outside, 'oh and one more thing?'

Jenna paused from fawning over Leo and looked back at her niece.

'Uh-huh?'

'There will be absolutely no making out or anything else on my couch. I know you're our babysitters for the night but no need to conform to all the clichés.'

Jenna looked distinctly horrified and Ric formed a deep blush in his cheeks almost akin to having been busted in the act itself.

'Would you just go please and try to enjoy yourselves?' Ric insisted as he tried to cover his deep embarrassment.

'And no phoning every ten minutes!' Jenna added as an afterthought.

Damon found it rather disconcerting to find Jenna's gaze firmly fixed on him instead of his wife but made no effort to question why, instead focusing to lead Elena out of the house and into the car so this so-called date night could start. Hell he needed a drink to deal with the idea of leaving Leo for any longer than a few minutes.

* * *

To be fair, Damon was actually having a good time. It wasn't often he revelled in the idea of acting _normal_ but somehow, tonight, it was working for him. And Elena was appreciating every minute of it.

'Ok, so we made it through dinner...'

'...and that god-awful Kings of Leon tribute band...' he reminded her.

'Oh come on they weren't that bad – you just have no sense for any music post 1979.'

Damon nodded in unashamed agreement.

'Well when you've partied with Hendrix and Zeppelin nothing really can ever match up to that...'

He leaned closer to her, brushing the hair away from her face and placed a kiss upon her cheek, happily noting the blush that was rising on Elena's face.

'...so what do we do now?' she asked with a little smirk giving Damon some kind of indication that he was indeed, playing his cards right.

'Well we could play Carpenter?' was his ambiguous suggestion that got Elena to raise her eyebrows which he knew by now was a silent question of _what the hell are you talking about_? He was going to have to explain.

'Well first I get you hammered, _then_ I nail you.'

He let his statement hang in the air a little as she considered his ridiculous yet obvious chat up line.

'You really do think about sex every 3 seconds of the day don't you?'

'What can I say? If my life had been written by Shakespeare, lust would be my tragic flaw.'

Elena smirked and downed the rest of her glass of wine as she casually let her foot gently play with Damon's under the table. She was playing footsie with her vampire husband. She would laugh if it weren't so crazily perfect.

'Well let's get me drunk then,' she grinned, throwing caution to the wind, safe in the knowledge that she'd expressed enough milk for the next two days until the alcohol left her system.

Damon resisted smiling like a giddy teenage boy and instead chose to signal the waiter.

'Another bottle of wine please?'

* * *

'Wait, wait, the steering wheel is digging into my back. Damon you've got to..._ohmygod_...'

Elena's mind went haywire as Damon managed to dig his way through her lace underwear to find their way beneath her folds, the self-consciousness of her post-pregnancy body lost in a drunken haze, much like her jeans that had a few moments ago been thrown into the back seat of the SUV.

'And you said...' he managed to breath out as he struggled to keep Elena on his lap, unbuckle his belt and continue the circular movements of his fingers on her core all at the same time, '...getting this car would...give us more _space_.'

He groaned as he finally managed to release his belt and push down his own trousers and boxers until they were crumpled at his knees. Elena huffed loudly as she arched her neck to allow Damon further access to leave his trail of kisses along and across her breastbone as he practically buried his head in her cleavage.

'Damon, _now_ is not the time for this argument.'

He nodded in some kind of agreement as he felt her right hand dip between them to take a firm grasp of him.

'Couldn't agree more,' was the grunt that escaped his lips as he kissed his way back up Elena's neck, bucking ever so slightly along with the attention her hand was giving to him between them, 'this is not how I pictured this night to end.'

Elena pulled faster, trying to get closer to pushing herself down on him.

'You mean you didn't think you would have sex?'

Damon pulled her top over her head with his free hand before using it to trail his fingers along the edge of her bra.

'No I was doing my best to get lucky; I just pictured a bed and a lot of foreplay – not a bottle of wine and the front seat of our car.'

Elena's head moved quickly down to capture Damon's lips in a kiss, letting her body move with her as she guided him inside, feeling Damon's groan of contentment and pleasure on her lips.

'It's been months Damon, just go with it.'

That was all the encouragement he needed to firmly grab her ass to steer her, meeting his thrusts with equal eagerness. He was concerned not to be too rough with her, considering this was the first time they'd had sex since Leo's birth, but she seemed to be in no real discomfort. He could easily decipher her moans of pleasure from those of pain.

Elena was definitely enjoying this little encounter.

Damon felt the way Elena closed around him, and he could tell that although they could both last for hours at a time (tantric sex was a talent of his) this was not going to be one of those occasions. Elena would be coming undone on top of him in minutes and he knew he had no hope of lasting much longer than that.

As he watched Elena's hair fall over her shoulders as she moved from arching her back to bringing herself back into him, Damon could only see just how lucky he was to have married her – even if it was through some strange turn of events. He could see and feel that she was equally as in love with him as he was with her. That became quite clear for him as Elena arched her back again, body shaking and letting out the barely audible gasp as she climaxed in his arms.

'God...Damon...'

Elena felt him tense up, his right hand slamming into the steering wheel as he came inside of her, his needless breathing laboured as he made great effort to hold her up with his one remaining arm. Damon finally rested his head on her shoulder, trailing his fingers up and down her spine.

'Have I told you how much I love having sex with you?'

Elena laughed as she managed to extricate herself from his hold, moving back to the passenger seat before readjusting her underwear that she was surprised Damon had taken the care of simply pushing to the side instead of ripping off in his usual 'fuck first, think later' manner that she had grown accustomed to.

'You may have mentioned it once or twice.'

'Are you ok?'

He looked genuinely concerned but she smiled shamelessly at him and rolled her eyes.

'I'm better than ok. That was exactly what I needed – thank you.'

'Well I'm your husband; I think it's my job to pander to your every whim is it not?'

She grinned and nodded, capturing his lips again for a kiss, before sighing.

'It is indeed, but unfortunately we have to get home and save our babysitters from our little boy.'

Damon rolled his eyes dramatically.

'Are you kidding me? What the hell are we paying them for?' he grumbled as he pulled his boxers and jeans back up, multi-tasking by also fishing Elena's jeans from the back seat.

'Thanks, and don't try to tell me you haven't been dying to call home all night to check up on him.'

Damon turned the key in the ignition, leaning over to pull Elena's seatbelt into place as she fussed with her hair in the sun-visor mirror.

'Have not.'

'Damon you're a vampire, you do not need to go to the restroom that many times when you've only had a couple of glasses of wine. And besides, Ric texted me and told me that if you didn't stop texting he'd make a serious attempt at injecting you with vervain, taking your phone and ramming it somewhere particularly uncomfortable.'

He was not impressed at his best friend having ratted him out, or the minor homoerotic-vampire-abuse that had been threatened against him, but refused to play into Elena's hands.

'You'd believe Ric over me? Your husband?'

'Fine,' she countered confidently, 'let me see your cell phone?'

He pulled away from the secluded part of the road Elena had practically forced him to drive into earlier on and look from the road, to his wife, and back again, noting from her outstretched hand that she was very serious about checking his messages.

'Trust was part of our marriage vows Elena, how quick of you to forget.'

Elena settled back into her seat with the smuggest of looks on her face.

'You totally can't admit that you're the overprotective parent out of the two of us.'

'Well you were the one who had Mr Emotionally-retarded and Ms. One-Wine-Shy-Of-A-Drink-Problem babysit our son – can you blame me for worrying?'

* * *

Damon tried desperately not to race ahead of Elena into the house, especially as she was walking particularly quick after realising, once Damon had pointed it out of course, that her choice of babysitters might not have been the best idea in the world.

He was stopped dead in his tracks though as he entered the parlour and felt like he was in some kind of scene from ET.

'Ok what's with the hazmat outfit?' he asked with genuine curiosity as he spotted Ric in a full-on jump suit that Damon was sure he had seen 6 months ago in the garage where Stefan had kept his car.

'I'm taking precautions, you know, like a condom – you might have wanted to consider one of those before you knocked Elena up and produced the spawn of the devil.'

Elena was quick to walk in on the bizarre scene as Ric produced a pair of kitchen tongs from the jump-suit and proceeded to pick up what she could only assume was one of Leo's dirty diapers.

'Spawn of the what now? That's my son you're talking about,' she replied, feeling more than slightly miffed at the way Ric was referring to her beautiful bundle of joy.

'Yeah well _your_ _son_ has toxic diapers...'

Damon winced and had to agree with his best friend on that point, choosing to ignore the 'spawn of the devil' comment.

'...and he punched me.'

Elena looked slightly concerned as to why her baby boy would have done such a thing.

'Wait, he punched you?'

Ric sighed as he flopped down on the couch and threw the tongs onto the coffee table.

'Yes he punched me – all I was trying to do was put him down to sleep.'

'Well he really is his father's son isn't he?' Elena giggled as she pulled off her shoes and threw her bag down on the table too, 'speaking of my baby, where is he?'

'Upstairs with Jenna. She told me to leave because I was stressing him out apparently. So I've been cleaning up his crap and sick down here for the past hour. I'll just go get changed and then we'll leave you two to it.'

Ric left to go change out of the jump-suit, giving Damon his patented pissed-off-one-day-I'm-going-to-stake-you glare to which Damon responded with a simple shit-eating grin as he sat down beside his wife.

'I suppose I better go and rescue Jenna from our son.'

Elena sighed and made an attempt to get up out of the seat but found herself being hauled back down and into the arms of her husband who pulled her close into him, placing a kiss on her forehead.

'Give it a minute; let's just enjoy some peace and quiet while it lasts huh?'

Smiling and returning his kiss, Elena made herself comfortable and this time her sigh was of happiness.

'So...date night, not such a bad idea after all then?'

Running his fingers through her hair before pulling his wrist into view to check his watch Damon had to agree.

'You were right, but the night's not over yet. How about you see out the Babysitter Club while I put Leo to bed and then...we can continue what we started in the car.'

Elena looked up from under his arms to find him grinning openly and waggling his eyebrows in that suggestive manner he knows she loves. In response, Elena forced herself quickly out of the seat and onto her feet before declaring in an all too filthy manner for a young mother, '...last one naked into bed is doing the night feed.'

As Elena rushed off to find Ric, Damon blurred his way upstairs and practically threw Jenna downstairs with apologies and thanks at the same time. Stopping only short of compelling his son to sleep, he sang one or two lullabies in Italian (making sure to switch off the baby monitors so no-one could hear) to make sure Leo was asleep before blurring into his and Elena's room.

He would have been pissed to have lost the bet, but finding his very naked wife lying sprawled across their bed was more than enough compensation for having to get up in the middle of the night to feed their son. Besides, once Damon was done with her, he was sure Elena would sleep well into the next morning and through any hungry cries during the night from the nursery next door.

* * *

_So thank you for reading – fancy leaving a review? Go on, you know you want to!_

_And for those that are interested, I'm on twitter – just do the usual .com website address and add 'avecia' to the end of it after the / if any of you want to keep up with my admittedly boring but random RL!_

_Now, who is for an albeit late final __Christmas __chapter with the return of a few characters we know and love?_

_X x x_


	25. Chapter 25

**Title: **He's Easy Like That

**Disclaimer:** I do not own TVD – I'm just borrowing!

**Rating:** M for language.

**Author's Note: **So, this is it folks. The last chapter. Now I wanted to post this _before_ Christmas but sadly it just didn't work out that way what with me being ill and everything. But, good news is, I am over my other little problem of having writer's block and plan on starting up Lineage again soon.

I also realize that I promised to post last Monday but I had a rather strange and crazy week so I hope you will forgive me.

This chapter is about Christmas, Leo's first to be exact, and be prepared, it's a LOOOOONG chapter! But I hope you still enjoy it.

This has been such a wonderful journey with you all and I hope you trust the decisions I have taken with the story. There will be a sequel and there are things that kind of start in this chapter that aren't really resolved but will be picked up again in my SEQUEL! So I hope you will look out for that. I plan to start writing that and posting by maybe the end of February so hopefully not too long to go. However, these parts that are continued don't actually distract from this chapter and won't leave you feeling short changed – well I hope not anyway

Thank you everyone for continuing to read and review. I'm consistently amazed by how many people have read this story and have reviewed or favourited – it makes it all so worthwhile and makes me happy to know my writing brightens your day even if just a little bit. Now I am only a little way short (about 31 reviews) from making it 600 – please can you help me reach that target? Please?

Finally, forever thanks to my wonderful Rika, she's an amazing beta and helped me so much with this chapter that if it wasn't for her, I doubt it would ever have been written. She is a talented and imaginative girl and you should all swing by her profile and read her fics! (penname Zoraya Windwalker).

And now, I present _'Christmas – Salvatore Style'_

Ave x

* * *

Elena had just finished putting the final touches to her Christmas dinner table when she realised she no longer had something else to focus on in order to tune out Damon's almost incessant whining. She sighed loudly.

'Damon, get over it. Christmas is _happening_. I want Leo's first Christmas to be really special. He's my little miracle...'

She practically heard the eyes roll inside Damon's sockets as she stopped making sure the cutlery was at right angles to the edge of the table.

'...don't roll your eyes at me, he is. And the story of Christmas is all about that. A miracle baby, or did you learn nothing from years of going to mass before you turned?'

Damon managed to unclasp Leo's fingers from around his ear, thus preventing him from yanking it off completely. Growing new body parts hurt like a bitch.

'Well _after_ I turned, mass _murder_ didn't quite reconcile itself with the ideals of the Catholic church...you know, ten commandments and the like. Them and all those other rules they made up, like no sex before marriage? Talk about ridiculous. I couldn't quite get on board with that.'

Elena sighed wishing she'd never brought the subject up. She knew how Damon felt about religion, how it was forced upon him by his father.

'Look I'm not asking you to _believe_...'

'Good, because if God exists I _believe_ he's one twisted son of a...'

'Finish that sentence Damon and you'll regret it.'

Elena glared at her husband with his mouth hanging open like a fish, making 'O' shapes, before deciding that he'd quite like to keep his head on his shoulders then closing it.

'Look, all I'm asking is that if you can't _get on board_ with celebrating the meaning of Christmas, can you at least try to make the most of the time we can spend together – it's a time for families.'

Damon got up from the armchair clasping his son close into his chest and gently holding the back of Leo's tiny head with his free hand. The baby was on the edge of falling asleep, forcing Damon to lower the tone of his voice to something resembling a whisper.

'Fine! If it will make Miss Elena happy I'll _deck the halls with boughs of holly_,' he grumbled, effortlessly passing Leo to his mother, 'but we'll leave the _donning of any gay apparel _to Uncle Ric shall we?'

Elena smiled and kissed Leo softly on his head before putting him in his Moses basket. At five months old he was almost too big for it now. She watched as Leo wriggled slightly until he was lying with all limbs spread out like a starfish. It amused her – yet another trait he'd inherited from his father. But she was distracted from fawning over how cute her little boy looked as Damon continued his protests from across the room.

'Oh and another thing...don't be thinking you'll be able to sweet talk me into dressing up as Santa Clause...'

Elena turned to find Damon fussing over her Poinsettia table decoration and raised her eyebrows at his odd behaviour. He finally stopped what he was doing to clarify his previous statement.

'...red is just not my colour.'

* * *

'Are you going to tell me what's wrong?'

Damon was in the kitchen, putting Leo's bottles in the sterilizer doing his best to pretend like everything was normal. And _that_ was what freaked Elena out the most.

'Damon? _Damon_?'

She pulled one of the bottles out of his hand and forced him to look at her.

'Nothing is wrong Elena.'

She wasn't convinced.

'Damon, stop putting up those walls – you've been acting weird all day and I'm worried...I'm your wife, _please_ talk to me. Is it something I've done?'

Rationally she knew it wasn't, but all sense of reason didn't come into play most days when it concerned Damon. He must have been able to see the extent of her anxiety on her face as he sighed and pulled her into his arms.

'It's not you ok; it's just this time of year. I haven't celebrated Christmas in...well it seems like forever. After my mother died, Giuseppe didn't see the point anymore.'

Elena wished the ground could open up and swallow her.

'I understand, and I'm sorry I didn't consider that before I started planning and inviting people around tomorrow...'

She understood, she really did – but why couldn't he understand why _she_ wanted Christmas Day to be special for Leo?

'...But this isn't just for you, it's for our son and that's important to me. Family Damon, that's what we are now. A family. And we should all be together at Christmas.'

She held on tighter as he lazily drew his hand back and forth through her hair.

'I know, I know, shh...I get it,' was his vague response but it satisfied her for now, that and the way Damon held her even closer.

* * *

'Caroline _please_ just tell me you're going to be here tomorrow? I need _some_ kind of normality. It's Christmas and _nobody_ seems to be bothered. Jeremy is back to being my irritating little brother again, Jenna is annoying the hell out of Ric about setting a date for the wedding, I'm getting a headache just thinking about what the atmosphere between Damon and Bonnie is going to be like, and talking of my husband, he's been extra huffy recently...'

Elena released the breath she'd been holding while she ranted and shook her head realising just what she needed.

'...I need _someone_ to actually be excited about Christmas!'

Caroline did her best to not burst into a fit of giggles and focus on the task in hand.

'_Well Elena if you followed my 15-point party plan and your table looks just like the example photo I emailed you last week, then I will of course be _sooo_ enthusiastic that Damon will be threatening to stake me two minutes after I walk through the door. How does that sound?'_

Elena had considered blocking Caroline's emails when she started sending her Christmas party planning mails complete with photographs lifted no doubt straight from a Pottery Barn catalogue.

'That sounds great Caroline, and if you can figure out how to put a smile on my husband's face while you're at it then that would be the best Christmas present ever.'

'_Didn't I just say he'd want to stake me due to my endless enthusiasm? He'd look like that creepy joker guy from Batman if he ever had the chance to end me!'_

Elena wasn't entirely comfortable with how Caroline was so blasé about Damon driving a stake through her heart, almost as if it was a joke.

'That's not funny Car, I was being serious!'

Caroline giggled this time.

'_So was I! But come on, why is he being like the total party pooper? I thought he liked any opportunity to get drunk and make fun of everyone?'_

Elena sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.

'That's what I thought too, but he just hasn't had any good experiences with family at Christmas, I guess it's hard to leave it all behind.'

There was silence for a few moments and Elena started to worry.

'Caroline? Car? You still there?'

'_Oh, yeah sorry. Just having a bit of a vacant blonde moment. I was totally listening to you. Damon's bummed about only ever having shitty Christmases.'_

'Well I wouldn't have said it like that, but I guess.'

Elena wandered into Leo's nursery and watched her little boy as he slept, wondering what it must have been like for Damon and how she never wanted that for her baby.

'Caroline, I just want this one to be special, it's our first family Christmas – I'm allowed to get all sentimental. I am a wife and mother now.'

Elena heard Caroline sigh dramatically through the telephone receiver and instantly wished she could take all those words back.

'_God don't rub it in._'

'Oh Caroline, I didn't mean to...'

'_...Relax Elena, it's all ok. Really I'll be fine. And to answer your original question I will be there for Christmas at Casa Salvatore with bells on. I just have a present to pick up before I get to yours so I might be there a little after when you've asked people to arrive. I hope that's ok._'

'So long as you get here that's all that matters, it's not like you need to eat anyway. But just for your itinerary, Dinner will be at 5pm sharp.'

'_Great! Ok, well I'll see you tomorrow. Give Leo a big kiss from me. Oh, and tell Damon to stop being such a Scrooge – there's a __163 year old bottle of special Malt that I will be going to a lot of effort to procure for him so he better get into the festive spirit._'

Elena was pleased she'd decided to call Caroline. She always made things seem less..._complicated_ – even if she was more cryptic now that she was a vampire. Elena supposed that was because she had Damon's blood running somewhere in her veins.

'I will pass that message along. See you tomorrow Caroline, drive safe.'

* * *

By the time Elena and Damon made it to bed it was not long before midnight. Despite his reassurances earlier, Damon really had done little to allay his wife's concern for him. She still had no idea what was _really_ causing Damon to act like his broody brother. When she eventually fell asleep it was interrupted quickly after by the sound of muffled crying in the nursery next door. Elena resolved to give it a few minutes to see if Leo settled down and turned over in bed to get comfortable again only to find that Damon was not lying beside her.

Elena sighed loudly because _really_, they had talked about this.

'I'm _so_ not the overprotective parent, I'm the _cool_ Dad...,' she mocked to herself, getting out of bed and pulling on her robe.

She tip-toed across the bedroom and carefully peeked into the nursery to see Damon on the floor, legs crossed and propped up against the crib. He had Leo tucked safely in the crook of his arms.

'You know, I thought babies were supposed to be in some kind of routine by now – according to that boring book your Aunt Caroline threw at me, most kids sleep through the night from aged 2 months.'

Elena could see that Leo was definitely awake by the way he was trying to grab Damon's ear again and the faint gurgling she could hear.

'Yeah, yeah, you can stop looking at me like that too. I know you're not most kids – you're my kid.'

Elena could see the faint smile on his face as his features relaxed. It allowed the tension in her own shoulders to fade a little.

'You know, when your Uncle Stefan was your age I was almost 8 years old and he was the fussiest baby on the planet. It drove my father crazy at how often he cried during the night. But my_ mother_, well she would always sit up with Stefan until he fell back asleep. I used to creep into his nursery and listen to _mamma_ sing him back to sleep...'

Damon seemed to laugh a little and shook his head whilst drawing his hand across Leo's forehead.

'...Don't look so worried kid, I wouldn't subject you to my singing voice. Aunt Bonnie maybe, but only because then she'd know what a real headache is.'

He paused for a second before continuing and Elena noticed the tone in his voice shift a little.

'I guess all this waking up in the middle of the night reminds me of what it was like with Stefan growing up – you remember I told you last night how he used to follow me around like a lost puppy...'

Elena felt a breath catch in her throat as Damon continued to talk about his brother – the one they had both banished almost a year ago. He'd been _talking_ to their son about him, telling him _stories_ about their youth. She didn't even know Damon thought about him let alone talked openly, even if it was to a baby.

'...well I suppose it was the same the other way around. I loved being a big brother. I was so proud of Stefan that when he was born I used to lift him out of his crib and take him around the Manor showing him off to all the house staff. That was until my father, who had a permanent stick up his _ass_, saw me trailing Stefan around in my wooden toy cart and well that was the end of that.'

Damon paused to look at his now very content son in his arms, the baby's arms no longer flailing all over the place to grab onto him. Elena was positive she saw a flicker of recognition somewhere in Damon's eyes.

'You know, it makes me so angry that he's not here to see you, hell to see _me_ doing this. I know he thinks I'm a monster but I wasn't always like that, and I'm not, not really deep down inside. He should know that I took care of him back then and he should see that I'm taking care of _you_ now – how could I not? You're my _son_._'_

The frustration appeared to falter though as Damon seemed to realise that his temper or anxiety would likely agitate the child in his arms.

'Look, I know I should say it's his own fault, and believe me, nothing would give me greater pleasure than laying the blame on his shoulders –god knows he likes to play Atlas and carry the weight of the whole world – but what am I supposed to do, he was..._is_ my brother...and I shouldn't have turned away from him.'

Hearing him talk so openly caused a tear to form in Elena's eye, and forgetting the fact that Damon had said the word '_ass_' and '_hell_' in front of Leo, she felt nothing more than the strong need to give him the reassurance that if he wanted it, she would help him find Stefan and make things right.

Damon's loud sigh brought her back to the scene before her.

'I know you're there Elena – you have the stealth skills of a ten tonne Elephant.'

The eyes rolled back in Elena's head as she made her way into the nursery (not caring about the fact that she had told him – only hours ago – not to do the exact same thing).

'You mean you let me stand there instead of inviting me in to join the conversation?'

She sat down beside Damon and placed her legs over his. She could see that Leo was now asleep just as she'd suspected and it struck her just how much he looked like Stefan – with those dark eyebrows and his light brownish blonde hair. Was it any wonder Damon felt himself opening up by looking at him?

'Some things are easier to say to someone who can't answer back and offer their humbled opinion. It was easier if you just listened...or eavesdropped, same difference.'

Elena frowned but still understood what he meant. She leaned over and smoothed down some stray hairs on Leo's forehead.

'And I know what you're thinking too – that Leo looks like _him_.'

She was taken aback at his ability to read what was on her mind.

'Don't go getting all Stephanie Meyer on me. Those vampires do nothing for me.'

It honestly freaked her out how attuned he was to her thoughts, which seemed to amuse Damon endlessly.

'Why would they when you're married to an eternal stud like me?'

She smiled back at him with a hint of an eye roll.

'Seriously though, he must take after the Salvatore side of the family. Stefan did too. As for me, well I always looked more like my mother, thank god. If I'd looked anything like my father I'd have found admiring myself in the mirror every day ten times harder.'

She pulled back and looked at him, knowing he was deflecting slightly. And she was determined to sort this whole mess out.

'I will help you fix this Damon. Don't bury these feelings on my account. Stefan found Jeremy and sent him back to me. The least I can do is to help bring Stefan back to you.'

Damon said nothing else on the subject but carefully pulled himself up off the floor and placed his son back in the crib, satisfied he was now back asleep.

'Come on, let's get to bed – if I'm going to survive a house full of big kids who really should know better tomorrow, including Vampire Barbie and Broomsticks, then I'm gonna need all the sleep I can get.'

* * *

'Bonnie! Merry Christmas – how about a little kiss under the mistletoe?'

Damon was doing his best to be hospitable as he welcomed Elena's guests into their home. Bonnie however was not as warm in her response to his request.

'A kiss? You have got to be kidding me,' she laughed as she took off her coat and practically threw it at him, 'I wouldn't kiss you under anaesthetic!'

Damon was trying really hard for Elena's sake to make sure the day was not spoiled by any bickering between him and The Witch, but sometimes Bonnie just pushed his buttons.

'You know I'm not totally _comfortable_ with you being here.'

Bonnie wandered into the parlour where she found Elena, Ric, Jenna and Jeremy fussing over Leo, who, God bless him she thought, was dressed up as Rudolf. So she plastered a false yet toothy grin on her face.

'Well _I'm_ not entirely comfortable with the smell of _blood_ on your breath either but I'm making do.'

Damon grinned, taking almost silent satisfaction at making the witch ever so slightly uncomfortable. But it was par for the course for the two of them to make such cutting verbal digs at each other. It was the only way they knew how to be around each other. And if Damon was honest, it was probably the only way he knew how to show _any_ kind of affection towards Bonnie. She'd really stepped up to the mark since he'd married Elena. Bonnie had put her reservations to the back of her mind and focused on being Elena's friend and a protector of her son. Damon couldn't ask for more really. So he sighed and looked her dead in the eye, the only way she knew he was being honest.

'Wow, who needs affection and season's greetings when I have blind hatred...' he flashed an entirely fake, yet toothy, glare of his own that only earned him an even more forced smile from his house guest. He decided to drop the false pleasantries and just try something different and new – so he tried being genuinely _nice _, '...I'm pleased you decided to come Bonnie.'

In response, Bonnie allowed her face to relax into an awkward sort of smile.

'Yeah, yeah, yeah – let me just go sit down and you get me a glass of wine. If nothing else it'll numb down my aneurysm inducing abilities.'

'Forget the glass, I'll get you a bottle,' Damon happily declared as he made his way down to the wine cellar.

* * *

They were in the middle of Christmas dinner and the conversation, much to Damon's surprise, hadn't been the worst thing in the world.

'Damon how could you let Elena dress Leo up like Rudolph?'

'Quite simple really - she threatened me.'

Ric looked confused at Damon's response to his question.

'But you're a vam..._oh_' he murmured finally figuring out that violence was not what his step-daughter-and-soon-to-be-niece had threatened him with, '...ok I don't think I want to know.'

As if on cue to save Elena from a mortifying conversation about her and Damon's sex life, the doorbell chimed and she practically jumped from her seat, scowling as Damon hummed the theme tune to _Saved By the Bell_.

'Caroline! Thank god you made it; we're just sitting down to dinner.'

Elena hugged Caroline and motioned for her to come in but she didn't move.

'Caroline, what's going on? Just come in already.'

'Um, I can't. I kind of, well, you remember that present I told you that I was picking up yesterday?'

Elena vaguely recalled her phone conversation with Caroline the previous afternoon and nodded feeling even more confused than before.

'Well, it's kind of for Damon.'

'Oh the Scotch, right, yes. Well just bring it in. Come on, dinner's getting cold.'

'No Elena, you don't understand.'

'What don't I...' Elena trailed off as she saw the figure appear behind Caroline.

'Merry Christmas Elena.'

Elena couldn't figure out if she should scream, slam the door or thank God for delivering _him_ straight to her. The one thing she did manage to force out might not have been the cleverest thing she's ever said though.

'Damon!'

* * *

'What in the hell are you doing here?'

Damon was at the door in a flash, followed not so quickly by the rest of the guests.

'Last time I checked, I still owed you a black eye. So, unless this is you coming to claim it, you can leave.'

'Damon, let's just all come inside, sit down and talk about it.'

Everyone was surprised that Elena didn't have a stronger reaction to her former boyfriend, well everyone apart from Jenna who knew that her niece had made peace with him a long time ago.

'Please Damon, can we just talk. Caroline asked me to come.'

Damon turned his attention to her instead.

'Oh she did, did she?'

He looked seriously pissed off but it didn't frighten Caroline.

'Oh calm down Damon, don't act like you haven't wanted to see him again or else I'll be forced to kick your ass so hard you'll be wearing my toes as a set of dentures.'

And with that she forced her way into the house, carrying the rest of her presents with her balanced on one hand.

'And I've just had a pedicure so I would not be in the slightest bit amused at having to do that. Now where is my favourite little boy in the world?'

Caroline turned around to see the scene behind her, where all of them were watching her completely brush off the inherent awkwardness of the situation.

'What?'

'You're a crazy bitch you know that?'

Of all the people to call her out on that, she didn't expect it to be Damon. Him ripping her head off or yanking her heart out yes, but simply sighing and calling her crazy? No. Besides, pot, kettle and black anyone?

She watched as Damon turned back to face his brother who was still standing there at the door with a Santa hat on (Caroline decided then that the hat might not have been the best choice of accessory considering the magnitude of her surprise).

'Fine, come in. But we're in the middle of dinner and I'm not doing this until I've finished.'

He walked off and sat himself back down at the table, satisfied that Leo was safely tucked up in his crib taking a nap and not in any immediate danger.

'Elena, why don't you set a place for Barbie and Ken at the end of the table where I can keep an eye on them?'

Elena nodded and set about putting the plates out. Bonnie managed to catch her eye with a silent '_you_ _ok?_' to which she could only nod at how odd the situation was. Damon was doing his best to act unaffected by the whole thing, but she saw him casually looking up to the ceiling, back to Stefan then to his dinner plate and she knew that although he wanted to fix things with his brother, it wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

'So I was in class and they showed us this video about these old women and their sex lives...'

'Oh Caroline!' whined the majority of the table, thankful that they had managed to finish eating and were now only sitting having drinks.

Elena was proud of the fact that Caroline made the decision to still go to College despite everything that had happened to her, although she never expected her to study something like psychology.

'What? Seriously, I mean they were in a senior's home talking to this elderly, blind woman who was having sex with one of the men who lived there. I mean, I don't know what's worse, watching an hour long documentary on that _or_ the fact that these women are having way more sex than I am. Talk about Fuck My Life.'

To be fair, it was rather amusing. Elena and Bonnie had missed spending time with Caroline when she went off to College and they'd missed this side of her. Not everything had to be about vampires, blood and killing people the blonde vampire reminded them.

_And_ it helped fill the awkward void of silence that was permeating from one end of the table to the other between Stefan and Damon, the latter of which was practically ignoring the very presence of his brother.

'So seriously, has there been no-one?' Bonnie asked, seeming strangely interested in her best friend's sex life. Damon was pretty sure Bonnie was still carrying that big V-card around like a security blanket so couldn't help but smirk at her odd interest in the topic of conversation.

'Well there was this one guy, and he was so sweet. The best thing about it was that afterwards he would just _cuddle_ me all night.'

'FYI if cuddling was the best part, he didn't do it right,' Damon piped up, receiving a snort in response from Alaric and Jeremy holding up his bottle of beer in mock salute.

'Damon don't be so rude,' Jenna chided.

'Someone tell that to the walking shag carpet!' he replied in jest, pointing to the blonde at the end of the table.

Jenna shook her head, albeit trying to keep from bursting out in laughter, before turning back to Caroline, keen to make sure she didn't fly over the table and make good on that promise about Damon's teeth, 'what went wrong?'

'Well it turns out he was into all kinds of weird kinky things and when he asked me to use _Armageddon_ as a _safe_ word I got the hell out of there, but not before I compelled him to forget ever meeting me.'

And with that the whole table erupted into laughter only to be stopped abruptly by both Damon and Stefan standing up almost at the very same time.

'Is that him?'

Elena heard the soft sound of Leo beginning to wake up come through the baby monitor and realised that this was what had disturbed both vampire brothers. She looked at Damon to see if he was going to respond to Stefan and noticed the tenseness in his jaw as it locked closed.

'I'll go get him,' she practically whispered, wishing for something else to happen, or Caroline to say something else completely inappropriate to dispel the tension in the room.

'No, I'll go,' Damon replied tersely, 'you stay here.'

It was a reply to Elena but somehow she knew by the way he fixed his stare back to his brother that she wasn't the one he had wanted to stay put.

It was barely two minutes after Damon had left the room and she had settled back into her seat wondering why she'd even bothered to go to such lengths for a perfect family Christmas when Damon sauntered back into the room with Leo in his arms.

'Stefan, as you so rudely decided to drop by you might as well meet your nephew.'

It was Elena's turn to jump out of her seat. She had nothing to fear from Stefan but this was her child! Yet she caught the look Damon gave her, silently asking her to trust him – and after recalling the conversation the previous night she couldn't do anything else.

_I'm taking care of you now – how could I not? You're my son_.

'Are you sure?'

Stefan was slow to move from his seat, and it didn't go unnoticed by the other guests that Caroline followed him closely behind.

'Well not really, but we'll know pretty soon if he doesn't like you as he tends to fill his diaper when he's around someone he doesn't like, isn't that right Ric?'

Ric grumbled and threw back the rest of his Scotch whilst being comforted by Jenna who found it deeply amusing how Leo was much more agitated when around her fiancé.

'Would you mind if I held him?'

'I'll mind if you drop him.'

A sentiment echoed by Elena as she watched with curiosity at the way that Caroline seemed to float around Stefan, almost like she was there to keep him calm. Well _that_ was something new. She thought it used to be the other way around.

Stefan took the baby in his arms and sat down on the armchair. Caroline sat on the edge of the seat and placed her hand gently on his shoulder, almost giving him reassurance that he could do it.

Leo seemed to adjust to the new set of arms holding him up and let out a squeal of delight as his uncle lifted him up and down to play.

It was then that Elena saw that her son was exactly what was needed to bring Stefan back into the family.

'I know this doesn't fix things.'

Stefan didn't take his eyes off his nephew as he and Caroline played with him, fascinated with the miracle baby.

'No it doesn't. But you're here. It's Christmas. And I refuse to spoil it for Elena and Leo.'

'Screw everyone else then,' muttered Bonnie who was quietly getting hammered on the couch next to the Christmas Tree.

'Yes thank you Sabrina, that bottle of wine doing the trick for you?'

'I need a refill.'

Damon rolled his eyes and blurred his way down to the cellar and back with another bottle of wine for The Witch.

'Here,' he thrust the bottle towards Bonnie who took it and promptly poured another glass, 'now can we please just all sit down, have a drink and play charades or something?'

'Ooh I brought Just Dance for the Wii,' clapped Caroline as she sprang from her spot on the armchair to rummage in her bag of goodies.

'Forget the lame dancing games Caroline, Elena mentioned something to me about a bottle of Special Malt.'

Caroline paused, realising that Elena hadn't quite figured that the Malt was a metaphor for finding and bringing Stefan to dinner.

'Um yeah, about _that_...'

* * *

'You know, I think all things considered, that went surprisingly well.'

Elena raised her eyebrows at Damon as he settled in to bed, pulling her close.

'_Well_? Bonnie gets hammered and pukes all over that expensive Persian rug, Jeremy ditched us completely after dinner, Jenna wouldn't stop going on at Ric about the wedding and for all the vampire powers in the world Caroline still manages to break that antique lamp whilst doing some crazy dance move to that computer game.'

'Actually I was referring to my long lost brother that previously tried to _eat_ you turning up unannounced, but sure, we'll go with your response.'

Elena let her eyebrows settle back down on her forehead and then shook her head at his blunt reply.

'Oh come on, that's the most fun Bonnie has been, in like...well ever, Jeremy is 17 and has his own friends, Ric seriously needs a lesson in manning up and I hated that lamp anyway.'

She loved how he managed to reassure and calm her down with his humour, even if she could swing for him most days because of it.

'You're right. I'm actually glad Caroline asked him to come. Who knew they were even in touch?'

'Mmm...she's more deceptive than she looks, that's for sure.'

Elena swatted him with a pillow from behind her head, knowing Damon had let her by the way he made no quick vamp move to get out of her line of fire.

'That was cruel! Caroline has done a lot for you or do I need to refresh your memory?'

Damon pulled her in closer to him and readjusted her pillow for her.

'No refresher needed, and actually in _my head_, that was a compliment.'

'Only in _your _head could that ever be a compliment,' she complained, 'but really, do you think there's something going on between them?'

'Elena can we just..._not_ talk about this right now? If last night is anything to go by, and what tomorrow is no doubt going to be like with Stefan coming back over, I'm going to need some sleep. You putting the image of my baby brother and his blonde sidekick into my head is going to give me nightmares.'

'You're right, I'm sorry.'

With that Elena, pulled herself over on top of her husband and grinned as it was then his turn to raise his eyebrows.

'Oh really, how sorry?'

'Sorry enough to give you an extra Christmas Present,' she practically drawled in response.

Damon, rapidly getting more excited about the idea of finally getting some alone time with his wife, reached up and grabbed Elena's shoulders, flipping them over so he was staring down at her before quickly attempting to get a little naughty.

'Well I like the sound of that, Santa has all sorts of presents in his sack, how about you let him empty it for you to see if there's an extra present for you too?'

Elena stared at him before bursting into laughter quickly followed by Damon who relaxed slightly on top of her.

'Yeah I'm sorry, that was not at all how I wanted that _come_ _on_ to sound. Today has just thrown my better self through the ringer.'

Elena nodded profusely as she tried to compose herself.

'Yep,' was all she could manage to get out in between giggles, which began to concern Damon slightly at how quick she was to agree with him.

'Wait a minute – was it too cheesy to strike out at having sex with my wife tonight?'

Elena reached up and kissed him fully, smiling and giggling into his mouth as she rolled them over so she was back on top, straddling him again.

'Nothing is ever cheesy enough to stop that from happening,' she breathed, reaching up to remove her tank top and setting free her breasts, 'Merry Christmas Damon.'

Never failing to be mesmerised by the sight of his wife naked on top of him, Damon was lost in his own thoughts.

'Yeah, Merry Christmas to me.'

* * *

_So there it is. I hope you enjoyed it._

_And for me I have finally found a sense of achievement having finished my first multi-chaptered fic (unless you count The Long Way Home – but that was only 4 chapters!)_

_I don't usually like to beg for reviews, but in this case, as it's my last chapter and I am only a few short of the big 600 I would love it if you could leave me a little note saying what you think and if you will maybe read the sequel. That would mean the world to me._

_Thank you once again for your patience and commitment at reading this story._

_Much love always, Ave x_

_P.S. If you didn't get the 'Armageddon' joke you might want to google 'Armageddon Gerbil Match' - it's not for those easily offended!  
_


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